: 525 
5 

9th 
opy 1 



HREE MONTHS IN CAMP AND FIELD, 



DUET 



OF AX 



OHIO 

VOLUNTEER. 



BY 



A MUSICIAN, CO. H, 

19rH REGIMENT. 



CLEVELAND: 

PRINTED AND FOR SALE BY THE AUTHOR. 

1861. 



I. 

THREE MONTHS IN CAMP AND FIELD. 



DIAET 



OF AN 



OHIO 

VOLUNTEER 



BY 

A MUSICIAN, CO. H, 

19th REGIMENT. 



CLEVELAND: 

PRINTED AND FOR SALE BY THE AUTHOR. 
1861. 






r 







' 



PKEFACE 



The leading object of the Author of this small volume, is to give 
his readers a full and authentic account of the Campaign of the 19th 
Regiment, Ohio Volunteer State Militia, giving in rotation every 
incident of any note connected with the Regiment, from the time of 
going into Camp, till the time of the return of the Regiment to the 
State of Ohio; together with a description of all the Camps occupied 
by the Regiment, and, also, a full description of that part of the 
State of Virginia, in which, and through which the 19th made its 
long and fatiguing marches ; and, also, a description of the manners, 
customs and appearance of the people of Western Virginia. The 
Author hopes that the trouble and expense, he has been to, to collect 
these notes and facts, may meet the approbation of the people of 
the glorious old Buckeye State. 

Salem, Columbiana County, Ohio. 



DIARY. 



Tuesday, May 14. — Our Company (Company H,) left 
Salem this morning at 4 o'clock, arriving at Camp Taylor 
at 9 o'clock, A. M., having a very pleasant trip. At Alli- 
ance, the junction of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago 
Rail Road with the P. & C. Raiload, we were joined by the 
boys of Company E, from New Lisbon, and together the 
two Companies went^to Cleveland, being lustily cheered at 
every place they passed. After arriving in Camp, the first 
introduction we had to the fare of a soldier, was our break- 
fast, which we took with a very good relish, after being 
about five hours on the cars. Our breakfast consisted of 
good bread and butter, boiled beef and pork, and potatoes, 
with coffee and other small articles, such as vinegar, mustard, 
pepper, &c, which I consider a very good meal for a servant 
of Uncle Sam. After we got dinner, we were shown to our 
quarters, where every man took his choice of bunks, and in 
a short time we were all making ourselves as comfortable as 
circumstances would admit. 

Wednesday, May 15. — The Camp was stirring, this 
morning, at 5 o'clock, our boys being, for the first time, 
aroused from their downy beds of straw, by the report of 
the brass field piece in our Camp. After stretching ourselves, 
and taking a good wash, we went to our breakfast, which 
consisted of precisely the same dishes that our first was 
composed of. The boys in our company are all well, with 
the exception of one man, who went to the hospital this 
morning with a sore arm. It rained nearly all the afternoon 
to-day, which made the Camp very unpleasant, and our 
quarters very uncomfortable. I will here describe Camp 
Taylor : — The Camp is in the incorporate limits of the City 
of Cleveland, about one and a half miles from the Railroad 
Depot, of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Road, and a little 
South of East from the City Park; it is a beautiful piece of 



G 

ground, very smooth and level, with plenty of go 

which is supplied from Lake Erie by the City Water \Y 
The grounds are surrounded by temporary board Bheds, with 
two rows of bunks on one side, and three on the other 
bunks being about two and a half or three feet apart ; I 
fc, also, one end of the Camp appropriated to build!: 
as quarters for the officers, quarter-master and commissary 
departments, with a mammoth boarding house, where the 
soldiers all take their meals; the cooking being done by 
colored cooks hired for the purpose, one man having 
contract of boarding all the troops in camp, at a stated price 
for each man. There is, also, a bank of seats at 01. 
the grounds, which I should think capable of seating live 
thousand persons. The grounds, I believe, are owned by the 
Agricultural Society of Cuyahoga Co., and is the place where 
I 'iiin State Fair has been held, I think, at two different 
times. The surface of the ground is of a sandy nature, 
which, after a rain, soon dries np, leaving the grounds in 
good condition for drilling. There is now in Camp Taylor, 
abut 3,500 recruits. 

Thursday, May 1G. — The weather, this morning, is i 
and cool, rain having ceased some time through the 1. 
with a pretty strong Northeaster. We were awakened 
our sleep this morning in the usual way, by the report of the 
big gun, alter which w T e had the pleasure of listening t< 
Reveille, played by the martial band of Col. Steadman's 14th 
Regiment of 0. V. M., which is now our neighbour in Camp 
Taylor. We took breakfast rather late this morning 
turn not coming till near nine o'clock. After taking 1>: 
fast, our company, along with Company A and Co] 
went on drill, and was put through for nearly three b 
and part of t lie time on the double quick move, which ap- 
peared to give the boys an excellent appetite for their din- 
ner. There were two of the boys of Company H deserted as 
yesterday, and made their way back to Salem, they having 

got quite satisfied with soldiering in one day. There was 
quite an excitement raised in our barracks this morning, by 
the accidental discharge of a pistol, in the hands of a Ger- 
man belonging to a Company of German Yeagers, from 
Sandusky City, the charge coming very near taking effect 
in one of the nieinlu is of the same Company. When, after 
the excitement had somewhat abated, the Yeagers formed 
into line and marched out of Camp, turning their faces 



homeward, their Company not being assigned to a Regiment 
for three months service, they not being willing to serve for 
any longer time. Since the mud has dried up, the boys have 
had a great time at pitching pennies, and gambling on a 
small scale, that being the only way they have of killing 
time during the time they are not on duty. We had a fine 
battalion drill this afternoon, Capt. Samuel Beatty taking 
command of the battalion. 

Friday, May 17.— There is still a cold Northeast wind, 
which makes coats and blankets feel very comfortable, 
although the weather is clear, and sun shining with consid- 
erable warmth. There was quite a number deserted this 
morning, some scaling the fence and giving leg bail, while 
others passed out of the gate and forgot to return. The 
boys are still standing around the fire, and shaking as if they 
had an ague fit; and those that cannot get near the fire are 
trying to warm themselves by violent exercise, which I think 
is much better than standing by the fire, which is made of 
wet straw thrown from our bunks, which you can readily 
believe makes a very bad fire. I lay in bed, or, rather, in 
my bunk, all night, and shook with the cold, but as soon as 
I got out and could exercise myself sufficiently to get my 
blood in circulation, I felt pretty comfortable. There was 
another Company left Camp this morning, they not being 
willing to go for more than three months, and the probability 
is, that there will some more go soon, unless they go into the 
three year's service. There are yet four Companies in Camp, 
that has not been assigned to a Kegiment, as three month's 
troops, and if they do not enlist for three years, they will, 
also, be sent home. 

Saturday, May 18. — The weather, this morning, is clear 
and cool, although towards the middle of the day, the sun 
shines with considerable warmth, which makes the boys 
look some more cheerful than the cold winds of the last few 
days. There was a member of Company G, 14th Regiment, 
died this morning, in the hospital. There are none of our 
boys in the hospital at this time, they all being in a condit- 
ion to take their rations of pork and beans, that is, when 
they get the beans, they not being quite as plenty as the 
pork. Three Companies of our Regiment, Companies A, E, 
and H, marched out of Camp this morning, and had quite 
a fine parade in the grove, not far from the Camp. The 
Battalion commanded by Capt. Beatty, of Company A, 



8 

• I Guards, when, after two or three hoars drill- 

alternately, the Battalion m 
to Camp very much pleased with the morning's 

exercise. Some of the boys of Company H, received letters 
from home to day, the contents of which they appeared to 

ir with the •- The Salem Kepvh 

also, received by some of them, and which appeared to be 
.i \. ry welooB We have had very good order in 

our Company since coming into Camp, with a very fi ■ 
oept ; ed by the Little too free use of the ardent; but 

I think when the boys get the wire edge worn off, there will 
rouble in that respect. 
Sunday, May 19. — The weather, this morning, looks 

:• lowering, but notwithstanding, there was three or 
tour Companies attended church in the city, at 10 o'clock. 
Your humble servant did not attend church, having been 
detailed on guard duty, and had to stand regular watches 
for twenty-four hours, two hours on and four off. It com- 
menced raining about eleven o'clock, and rained pretty near 
all the time, for four and twenty hours, and is raining still. 
There was quite a row raised in our barracks this afternoon, 
when the Company returned from church; some of the boys 

so excited thai they had to be placed under guard; but 
I do not think that it was going to church that had the effect 
of exciting them to such an extent, but to the contrary. I 
think that it was staying from church, and going some place 
else, that had the effect of raising the excitement. But such 
was the case, that some of them got so wild that they had 
to be tied hand and foot, to keep them from tearing down 
tleai- quarters over their heads; but such will happen in the 
best regulated families. There is preaching in the Camp tins 
bul there are a very few attend, compared with 
the Dumber in Camp; but I think if it was pleasant weather, 
there would, perhaps, more attend, than vn such a day as 
this. Tie- health of the Camp is good, notwithstanding the 
cold, Ler; there are very few in the hospital, 

and what cases are there, are, perhaps, cases brought on by 
arc, more than any thing else. There are "a 
few cases of measles, and a few of billious fever, but so far 
as I can learn, there aie none that is considered any way dan- 
gerous. There are very lew places where there are as many 
men living in the same way, and in a way that is new to 
them all, that there is less sickness in than there is here just 



now, which speaks very well for the healthy location of 
Camp Taylor. There is now in Camp, as near as I can learn, 
about four thousand soldiers, and more expected to morrow. 
There is now five Companies of the 19th Regiment in Camp, 
and the other five will be in this week, which will make the 
19th full. 

Monday, May 20. — The weather to-day is horrible, it 
has rained all day, making the Camp a perfect bed of slush 
and mud. It commenced at sunrise this morning, and has 
rained steady ever since, up to this time, five o'clock, P. M., 
and is still raining. There was two more Companies of the 
19th Regiment came in to Camp this forenoon ; Company B, 
from Youngstown, and Company 0, from Warren, both of 
them are crack Companies in my estimation. I was glad _ to 
see, in bolh Companies, quite a number of my old acquain- 
tences, which had the effect of making me feel more at home 
than at any other time since I left home. Companies B and 
C are fine Companies, and will make their mark if ever they 
have the good fortune to try their nerves on the Southern 
rebels. The Youngstown Company, Capt. Hollingsworth, is 
the most soldier like looking Company in Camp, they having 
been furnished, before leaving home, with good over coats, 
made in good military style, and, also, with good caps in the 
0. V. style. There is yet three Companies of our Regiment 
to come into Camp; and if I was going to judge by the places 
they are coming from, what kind of men they were going to 
bring with them, I would say, without the least hesitation, 
that they will be all as right as a brick, for as far as I know 
anything about the boys of old Ashtabula and Geauga, I 
know they are a:l right, with their hearts in the right place. 
The health of the Camp is as good as usual. 

Tuesday, May 21. — The weather, this morning, is clear 
and pleasant, being quite an improvement on the weather 
of the last two or three days previous. There was 1000 
muskets arrived in Camp to-day, to be distributed to the 14th 
and 21st Regiments, which will leave Camp in a few days 
for some point in Southern Ohio, or Western Virginia. The 
14th will probably leave to-day, and the 21st on Friday. — 
Two more Companies of the 19th came into Camp to-day, 
one from Ashtabula and the other from Geauga county, and 
a finer looking set of men don't happen to be in Camp just 
at this time. The Companies comprising the 19th Regiment 
are now all in Camp, and the probability is, that the Regi- 



10 

merit will be organized and mustered into the service some 
time this week; and if that should be the i Lay expect 

to be removed from this Camp before the end of the month. 
J can Learn, our Regiment, after leaving this Camp, 
will be Btationed either at Zainesville or Bellaire, until such 
time as we are ready to go to Western Virginia. The 19th 
is pronounced to be one of the best Regiments that has been 
raised in the State of Ohio; there is one thing certain, there 
is not a Regiment in Camp, that I have seen, that ha- 
il v. tin- same amount of intellect and decision that 
the boys of the 19th seem to be endowed with. The Regi- 
ment is composed of the following Companies, from the fol- 
lowing counties, and principally from the following towns: 
Company A, Canton, Stark county, Capt. Beatty. 

'• B,Youngstown, Mahoning Co., Capt. Hollingsworth. 

11 C, Warren, Trumbull county, Capt. Barrett. 

11 D, Morgan, Ashtabula county, Capt. Grain. 

11 E, New Lisbon, Columbiana county, Capt. Bean. 

" F, Chardon, Geauga county, Capt. Paine. 
G, Akron, Summit county, Capt. Buckley. 
H, Salem, Columbiana county, Capt. Preston. 

11 I. Ashtabula, Ashtabula county, Capt. Hoyt. 

" K, Cuyahoga Falls, Summit county, Capt. Konkle. 
In the organization of the Regiment, Capt. Beatty was 
elected Colonel ; Capt. Hollingsworth, elected Lieutenant 
Colonel ; and the brave old Capt. Buckley, was promoted to 
the Majorship of the Regiment. There was a little incident 
that occured this afternoon, that I will mention here, showing 
in what kind of estimation the boys of the 19th are held, 
by the good citizens of Cleveland. While sitting within ear- 
Bnol of some ladies and gentlemen, this afternoon,a line old 
motherly looking lady made the remark, thai the L9th was 
the besl looking Regiment that had been in Camp Taylor, 
when an old gray haired sire, who sat beside her, turned 
towards her and said, with all the warmth of a boy of twenty 
summers, "my dear, I would like to join that Regiment, and 
i'iL r l)t beside of them boys, for said he, I can see by the way 
they hold their heads thai them boys will never turn their 
back's to the enemies of their country." 

WkdhebdaY, May 22. — The weather, this morning, is yet 
pretty cool, although it is much pleaaanter than it has been 
for the last four and twenty hours; the mud has pretty much 
all dried up, leaving the grounds in excellent condition for 



11 

drilling, and at the same time adding much to the appearance 
of the men. The 14th Eegiment left Camp Taylor this 
morning, for Marietta, Ohio, so I was informed by an officer 
of the Regiment; but I was informed afterwads, by good 
authority, that they go from here to Columbus, where they 
are to be uniformed and fully armed, when they will be sent 
directly into Western Virginia. There was quite an impor- 
tant change made in our feeding arrangements, this morning. 
As I have mentioned in another place, heretofore all the 
soldiers in Camp, took their meals in one mammoth boarding 
house, but this morning, all three months volunteers drew 
their rations, and the boys are now busily engaged in cook- 
ing their own dinner. The grub, heretofore, has been good 
enough, if it had been properly cooked, but the cooking has 
been pretty hard, so- hard, that the boys began to growl 
considerable; but now, as the provisions are dealt out to each 
Company unprepared, the boys will have a fine chance to 
try their skill in the cullinary line; and if they cannot cook 
their grub to suit their own taste, they will have no one to 
growl at. Our dinner was certainly an improvement on 
the grub that we formerly had, the quantity nor quality has 
not improved, but there was certainly an improvement in 
the cooking of it ; we do not get quite as much of a variety 
as we did before drawing rations ; we have had our rations 
of butter, pepper and mustard stopped. Our rations, now, 
consist of bread, mess pork, potatoes, beans, coffee, sugar, 
vinegar and salt, which, if we get plenty of it, we will fare 
pretty well, but I think we will fare worse before the end of 
three months than we do at present. It goes pretty hard 
with some of the boys to come down to bread, pork, potatoes 
and such like, when they have been used to all the luxuries 
that the land produces ; but it cannot be looked for in a 
military camp, if we get enough of the substantial of life, 
we can very easily get along without the superfluities. If a 
man cannot screw his courage up high enough to live three 
months on pork, beans, potatoes and bread, along with other 
little fixins to sweeten up with, he had better stay at home 
and not pretend to go a soldiering, for hardships may be 
expected, and what we think is hard fare here in Camp 
Taylor, we may, in less than three months, wish for as a 
perfect feast ; therefore, I would say, be content when the 
cravings of hunger is appeased. 

Thursday, May 23. — The weather still continues to be 



12 

very & 1 for the time of year; through the middle of the day 
ir is quite warm ana refreshing, but the mornings and 
evenings art- quite chilly, and th< ire bo col i, that it 

Lb almosl imp ■ ; our blanket very thin, 

and do way calculated to protect ua from the cold. ; but there 
bion which we have to depend upon, and that 
Lb, thai this <-.»ld weather will not last all summer. The 

p Looks lively this morning, every one, apparently, being 
busily engaged in doing something; some are engaged in 
cooki •■ in chopping wood ; some washing their socks, 

handkerchiefs, and other small articles of clothing; some 
pitching pennies, while some are at the more useful occupa- 
tion ling the morning papers, and iniorming tkem- 

- of the current events of these troublesome tim< b. [ 
Bat watching the boys this morning, in their various occupa- 
and pastimes, and finally come to the conclusion that 
it would repay any one to make a visit to a military camp, 
if for no other purpose than to study the character and dis- 
position of men picked up promiscuously from every part of 

State. We have here the sober, straight faced, sturdy 
christian; the sober, thoughtful, non-professor; the quiet, 
unobtrusive, free thinker ; the genial, jovial, smiling and fun 
loving; the crusty, snapish, cur dog propensity; and I am 
sorry to say, a very large representation of the noisy, curs- 
ing and quarreling kind; but I do not know that 1 ever saw 
any better order among as large a lot of men than there is 
among the soldiers in this place. I have thought that the 
men instinctively are drawn toward, and sympathise with 

mother, their minds being fixed upon the one all absorbing 
theme, the upholding of our Constitution, the enforcement 

ir oational laws, and the vindicating the rights of our 
common country, at least, most any one would think so, to see 
the good feeling that exist among them, even among men 
wn ' | sitions differ in every other respect; 

l ,ut b« thai as it may, there is certainlv agood feeling exist- 
ing between the Bojdiers in Camp. ] at is 
making preperationa to leave Camp to-morrow morning, I 
believe they are ordered to Jackson, Jackson county, in the 
South pari of the State of Ohio, at Least, 1 s il bo stated in 
the morning papers. After the 21st leaves Camp, there will 
be none here bul the 19th, with the exception of three or 
four Companies of three year men, who, I understand, will 
be removed to damp Jackson, at Columbus. I also under- 



13 

stand that there will not be any more troops quartered in 
Camp Taylor, after the removal of what are here now ; the 
probability is, that Camp Taylor will be broken up. 

Friday, May 24. — The weather, this morning, is mild 
and balmy, with a pretty strong breeze from the South, which 
I think will be very apt to bring rain before the week is out. 
The 21st Eegiment left Camp this morning, on their way to 
Southern Ohio, or more likely to Western Virginia. The 
19th is now the only Regiment in Camp, with the exception 
of some three year troops. It is now pretty certainly under- 
stood that Camp Taylor will be broken up, when our Regi- 
ment leaves. I have been informed, by good authority, that 
our Regiment will leave Camp Taylor the first of the week, 
to proceed to Camp Jackson, at Columbus, there to be mus- 
tered into the service, from which place we will either go to 
Zanesville, or to Camp Lancaster, in Fairfield county. There 
is nothing of any particular moment transpired to day, more 
than the marching of the 21st. The boys in our Regiment 
have their regular hours for drilling ; we also have dress 
parade every afternoon, which helps to take up the time 
which hangs heavily on our hands. The boys are getting 
quite tired of Camp Taylor, they would like a change of 
scenery ; and I must confess that I would like a change 
myself, for I am getting tired of so much inactivity. The 
health of the Camp is good, there being very few in the 
hospital ; a few cases of measels being all the sickness that 
I have any knowledge of, after strict inquiries made from 
those direct from the hospital. The signs of rain is now so 
good, that I think we will have rain before to morrow morn- 
ing; and for my part, I should like to see some rain pretty 
soon, for the dust is begining to be quite offensive, particu- 
larly when there is as much wind as there has been to-day. 
I have not been able to keep the sand out of my eyes all 
day, and I should like to see a good sprinkle of rain to lay 
the dust, if nothing more. The wind is very high this after- 
noon. 

Saturday, May 25. — Old Sol makes his appearance this 
morning, his face looking fiery red, after one of the hardest 
rains that we have had this spring. It commenced to rain 
about nine o'clock last night, and rained for an hour or more 
as hard as it could pour down, the thunder rolling, and the 
lightning flashing with the most terrible grandeur. We had, 
also, a shower of hail during the evening. During the 



14 

hardest of the storm, our barracks leaked so, that in a few 
minutes our bunks was perfectly inundated, the water com- 
ing in, not by drops, but by the bucket full ; the place where 
I lay was as wet as if it had been out of doors, in less than 
five minutes; my blanket and oil cloth being of very little 
use. It was quite diverting to see the boys shifting their 
traps from one place to another trying to find a place where 
they could keep them dry; but the most of them gave up 
in despair, and finally settled down and took the rain as 
philosophically as they could. But the sun is shining, this 
morning, with the prospect of having a fine day. The boys 
are rather glum this morning, and some of them are very 
much out of humor; some of them are cursing the mud, and 
the cooks are cursing the fire, the wood being wet, and not 
making as hot a fire as the occasion requres. There are, also, 
quite a number that take particular interest in fulmigating 
the strongest kind of anathmas against the smoke, the wood 
being very wet, and making a great deal more smoke than 
fire. But, I think, after the boys get their breakfast, and 
the sun dries, and the mud drying up a little, that their equan- 
imity will be some what restored. The boys are now begin- 
ing to realise the advantages and disadvantages of sleeping in 
wet straw, and under thin blankets, compared to sleeping in 
their own beds of down, and under good, thick comforts, such 
as they have just left at home. But there is nothing like a man 
schooling himself to any thing that turns up, and at all times 
take everything for the best— there has never yet been a storm 
but what there was a calm followed — so I think, perhaps, 
that will be the case in this instance. There was some of the 
Salem folks here to see the boys to-day, but I was not ac- 
quainted with any of them, therefore it did not interest me 
as much as it did some of the others. Our Camp, this morn- 
ing, had the appearance of a small Lake, dotted over with 
email Islands, or, rather, it had the appearance of a small 
plain, dotted over with innumerable small Lakes, every little 
low place being completely filled with water; showing, pretty 
conclusively, that last night's rain was something more than 
a small sprinkle. There has been about five hundred muskets 
distributed through our Regiment, so the boys are now exer- 
cising themselves in the use of this noble instrument ; they 
are now going through the motions of shoulder, support, 
aport, present, secure, order, trail, shift, and all other little 
etcetera motions connected with the use of the shooting iron; 



15 

and I am happy to inform my readers that the boys take to 
it as natural as a three month's calf to a pail of new milk, or 
a sick kitten to a warm brick ; in fact, some of them go at 
it as if they were old and experienced hands at the business. 
This is Saturday night, and the boys are commencing to 
black their boots, to be ready for Church in the morning, 
and I think that I will have to follow suit, the Company 
having a special invitation to attend Church, in the city, 
to-morrow. 

Sunday, May 26. — The sun came up this morning with a 
clear, unclouded sky, but before nine o'clock in the morning, 
it commenced to rain, and rained pretty much all the fore- 
noon. Although it rained nearly all the morning, some of 
the Companies attended Church in the city, but our Company 
did not turn out, although a special invitation had been ex- 
tended to the Company. Two of the boys of Company H 
had a bit of a fight this morning, one of them getting a 
beautiful pair of black eyes, and both of them getting a free 
pass to the guard house, they having the honor of being 
escorted to that very distinguished place by the bigest man 
in the Camp. About 12 o'clock, M., the sun made its appear- 
ance, and we had a beautiful afternoon. There was preach- 
ing in Camp at 3 o'clock, a very good sermon being preached 
by a Minister of the Episcopalian Church. I could not get 
close enough to hear the text, but the sermon treated on the 
duties of a good soldier, the minister making some very 
happy hits, and making some good comparisons between the 
soldiers of the Cross of Christ, and soldiers engaged in the 
present contest, that is convulsing this, our once happy coun- 
try, from the banks of the majestic St. Lawrence to the gol- 
den shores of the Pacific Ocean. He showed, conclusively, 
to my mind, that the instigators and perpetrators of this 
wicked rebellion are carrying on their hell-begotten work 
directly in opposition to all divine, as well as to all human 
laws. In fact, he preached a sermon that any one who heard 
him would say, came from the heart of a good christian, and 
was delivered in a good christian spirit. After the service 
was over, there was sang, I presume by the choir of the Epis- 
copal Church, accompanied by some of the instruments of our 
Regimental, Leland's Band, the Star Spangled Banner, and 
I think that I never heard sweeter or more impressive music 
in all my life. There is something that always appeared so 
soul-inspiring to me in that good old National Anthem, that 



16 

it was always a favorite of mine; but the way it was perfor- 
med, and the circumstances under which it was performed 
to-day, made me feel perfectly elated. After the anthem 
was finished, the Regiment formed into line across the field, 
whei. "i n g through the exercise required at dress 

parade, the Regiment broke into plattoons by Companies, and 
paseed in review before the officers commanding the Camp, 
I ng twice around the field, and then wheeling into line 
as before we started. It is now pretty conclusive, that we 
this place on Tuesday morning. 
Monday, May 27. — The weather, this morning, is per- 
fectly miserable. Last night we had such a storm as we do 
not have in these parts every day, nor need we want to. — 
Some time in the night I was awakened from my sleep by 
peal after peal of the heaviest thunder that I have heard 
for many a day, accompanied by the most vivid lightning 
immaginable ; when, soon after, the rain began to descend in 
torrents, and continued for hours, coming through the roof of 
our sheds and drenching us to the skin in less time than it 
has taken me to write these lines. Our quarters, this morn- 
ing, look worse than a horse stable, there not being a dry 
place in it. We are a pretty hard looking crew this morn- 
ing, with wet britches, wet shirts, and wet blankets, and not 
least, but last, wet skins and no place to dry them. The rain 
is still coming down this morning, not in such quantities as 
it did last night, but enough to keep us wet and our tins 
from burning ; and at the same time, the wind is blowing a 
ict gale, making the rain fly, the smoke fly, the fire fly, 
and, also, making our tin pans and tin cups fly every time 
we attempt to put one on the table. There was, for awhile, 
that the prospect for breakfast looked rather bilious, but we 
have, finally, been successful in getting a couple of camp 
kettles fall of coffee made, and every man took his breaa 
And '"lift'' and broke for the best cover he could find, entirely 
abandoning the idea of taking breakfast around our table, 
as we had usually done. The Regiment received orders this 
evening, to leave this place to-morrow morning; the orders 
are to prepare twenty-four hours rations, and be ready to 
march out of Camp at 6 o'clock in the morning. We go from 
here to Camp Jackson, at Columbus, but what the programme 
will be after we get to that place, I am not prepared to say. 
The rain has ceased, yet still the sky looks rather threaten- 
ing, and I would not be much surprised if we would have 



17 

more rain before morning, but I hope not, for I would like 
to sleep some to-night, being that we have to be on the move 
all day to-morrow. The Companies have drawn their rations, 
and the cooks are now busily engaged in cooking them. Our 
boys all feel good over the orders to leave Camp Taylor, but 
it is more than likely that we will not find as good quarters 
the next place we stop at; but there, is nothing like change. 

Tuesday, May 28. — The weather, this morning, is clear 
and pleasant, the sun shining with more warmth than at any 
other time this spring. Every one is astir this morning, 
packing up their dunnage, preparatory to leaving for the 
Capital City. The Regiment formed this morning at 8 o'clock, 
but there being so much to attend .to, we did not leave the 
Camp till nine o'clock. We marched to the Eailroad Depot, 
where there was a train of cars ready to receive us, when, 
after the Regiment was all got aboard, which took conside- 
rable time, the long train of nineteen passenger cars started 
on their winding way for the City of Columbus, at which 
place we arrived at about 6 o'clock in the evening, without 
anything taking place of any particular interest, except one 
or two fights, caused by the boys taking on a little too much 
of the ardent. After arriving, the Regiment was formed, 
and marched up to the Capital Square, and marched once 
around the Capital, I presume, to give the boys a chance to 
examine the structure, as I did not see any one speak to any 
man belonging to the Regiment. After being brought up in 
front of the Capital, some few men and boys standing on the 
steps, one man proposed three cheers for the 19th Regiment, 
but the man that made the proposition had to do all the 
cheering himself, which he did with a hearty good will, 
swinging his hat and cheering as lustily as his lungs would 
allow him ; but, unfortunately, he had to do all the cheering 
himself, not another man or boy offering to give the faintest 
bit of a squall for the 19th Regiment. Columbus, Oh ! Co- 
lumbus; Ah! Columbus; Bah! Columbus. Well, after the 
boys satisfied their curiosity, and passed their opinion on the 
beautiful building, (privately I presume,) and also on their 
reception by General C. and Governor D., their opinions 
being expressed publicly, without fear or favor, the Regiment 
marched back to Camp Jackson, where we were assigned to 
quarters for the night, weary of our days ride and disgusted 
with the City of Columbus. Camp Jackson is situated one 
half or three fourths of a mile from the State House, and 
2 



18 

North of the City, and is an inclosure of perkape twenty-hyp 

acres, covered with timber, with some board shanties with 

some bunks in ; with room enough to lay in, but not room 

enough to sit in ; with two or three wells of hard, brackish 

The place is known to those acquainted in Columbus, 

...odale's Park. Such is Camp Jackson. 

Wednesday, May 29. — The weather, this morning, it 

clear and warm. The boys was called out to roll-call this 

morning, before 5 o'clock, after which, we took breakfast. — 

A- - o'clock we was ordered out for examination, which, 

og, with very few being rejected, we were sworn into 

irvice, taking the oath to support the Constitution of 
the United States and State of Ohio; and, also, to obey our 

re, the latter requirement, I fear, not being complied 
with by Borne of the boys, as it should have been. The mus- 
tering process consumed the forenoon, when, after dinner, 
the Regiment proceeded to elect their officers. The result of 
•the election was as follows: — Colonel, Beatty, of Canton ; 
Lieutenant Colonel, Hollingsworth, of Youngstown ; Major. 
Bucklev, of Akron. We Btart to Zanesville at 3 o'clock. 
having had orders to that effect. Our Company, also, elected 
their commissioned officers to-day, the post of Captain being 
vacant, occasioned by our former Captain being repudiated 
•The result of the election was, for Captain, A. Stihvell, for- 
merly Led Lieutenant; for 1st Lieutenant, W. H. I. Hilliard, 
2 1 Lieutenant-, A. Campbell. At 3 o'clock, Eight Comp 
of our Regiment took the ears for Zanesville, where we arri- 
V" 1 .it 6 o'clock in the evening, and proceeded to C 
Go Idard, the Camp being situated about one mile from the 
city. Companies A and B took a train for Bellair, from 
whioh place they proceed on into Virginia, to be stationed 

ae point on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, I believe 
at Glover's Gap, or some place Dear there, ('amp Goddard 
1 one mile from the City of Zanesville unds 

belonging, I believe, to the Agricultural Society oi Musk- 
ingum county. The Camp is a most beautiful one, being situ- 
ated in a valley surrounded by beautiful wood-covered hills, 
which are dow robed in the richest and most gorgeous of 

very Btrong contrast in its favor, 
compared with Camp Taylor or Camp Jackson. The Camp, 
I should think, contains about twenty-hve or thirty acres, is 
surrounded by a good fence, with good substantial buildings 
which are now used for our quarters. The ground is sur- 



19 

rounded by a, carriage *way and trotting course, which, I 
should think, is near a half mile round, the ground, inside 
of the ring, being grown over with a luxuriant growth of green 
grass. The Camp is well adapted to the use it is now put 
to, there being plenty of room for the movements of troops, 
with plenty of good water, both of which are very essential 
in a military Camp. 

Thursday, May 30. — The weather, this morning, is beau- 
tiful and bright, the air being mild and pleasent, and laden 
with the smell of sweet, fresh flowers, which makes the place 
appear a paradise, compared to the places that we have been 
camped in before. 1 tried, in my yesterday's notes, to de- 
scribe to you the location of our Camp, but I find, after 
taking another survey from a neighbouring hill, that 1 have 
not done the place the justice that its beauty demands; suffice 
it to say, that it is a most lovely place, situated in a lovely 
part of the State of Ohio. The Muskingum Valley is one of the 
most fertile valleys in the State of Ohio, and Muskingum 
county is one of the richest counties in the State, as it is one 
of the oldest settled. Vegetation is at least one month earlier 
than it is on the Lake shore. All kinds of vegetable are 
plenty, lettuce, onions, radishes, peas and beets, all of this 
spring's growth, are now in the market in abundance. The 
City of Zanesville is situated in Muskingum county, on the 
East side of the Muskingum River, about sixty-five miles 
from its junction with the Ohio River. The City is a stirring, 
thriving business place, and I should think contains from 
twelve to fifteen thousand inhabitants, who I should take to 
be an industrious, thorough-going people. The City contains 
five or six splendid Churches, with good School Houses, two 
first class Hotels, two or three large and flourishing Machine 
Shops for the construction of engines of varions kinds, and 
of the most approved patterns. The City contains many fine 
business houses, doing business on a large scale, beside any 
quantity of retail houses doing a flourishing and. prosperous 
business. The City is connected, by a good bridge across 
■the Muskingum, with the town of Putnam, which is a flour- 
ishing place of some two thousand inhabitants, all in some 
kind of a good, prosperous business. The town contains two 
Glass Manufactories, three or four large Potteries, where the 
very best stone-ware is manufactured in very large quanti- 
ties. The town also contains some good Churches, and one 
first class Female College, which would be an ornament to 



20 

any city. The Railroad facilities are, the Ohio Central Road, 
from Columbus to Bellaire, passing directly through the city, 
'and, also, the Cincinnati &. Zanesville Road which terminates 
here. The Muskingum River being navigable nearly, or 
quite, the whole year, is, also, quite a convenient means of 
transportation and travel to the good citizens of Zanesville, 
and to all the inhabitants of the Muskingum Valley. 

Friday, May 31. — The weather is yet clear and pleasant, 
although we had frost last night, but the sun is coming up 
this morning bright and clear, and in a few hours the frost 
will all be gone, and the air nice and warm. The boys of 
our Regiment all appear to be very much taken up with 
Camp Goddard, and with the City of Zanesville ; it is indeed 
the most pleasant place that we have been in, in more res- 
pects than one ; in the first place, we get better rations here 
than we did at either Cleveland or Columbus, and in the next 
place, the people are more sociable and kind than we have 
found them at any other place, every one taking particular 
pains to make us feel that we were among friends, the very 
best citizens being courteous and free in talking to the most 
humble of the soldiers, providing they behave themseh 
men should do, at all times. The fine personal appearance, and 
the social qualities of the majority of the men of our Regiment 
has, apparently, made quite a favorable impression on the- 
good citizens of Zanesville. The boys all appear to tink 
that as long as they have to stay in Camp in Ohio, that this 
is the place, above all others, that they would rather Btaj 
in ; but most of the men seem to feel dissatisfied, for the 
reason, that two Companies have been sent on to Virginia, 
while the balance of the Regiment are cooped up in Camp 
in Ohio. Our Company elected their non-commissioned offi- 
cers this afternoon, there being a great deal of dissat isl- 
and the majority of the men opposed to the officers appointed 
by Capt. Preston before the Company left Salem ; but now, 
as the boys have got officers of their own choosing, 1 hope 
they will be better satisfied. "We have dress parade every 
afternoon, that, and the delicious music made by our splendid 
Regimental Brass Band, under the leadership of the celebra- 
ted Capt. Jack Leland, draws crowds to our Camp every 
afternoon. There are two Regiments in Camp Goddard at 
ttais time, the 20th Regiment was here when we came, and is 
^aere yet, so that the 20th, and the eight Companies of the 
l9th make in all, at this Camp, about sixteen hundred men. 



21 

Saturday, June 1. — The first day of June, rosy, balmy, 
fragrant'JJune, came in on us this morning with one of those 
mild, gentle and refreshing showers of rain that we frequent- 
ly have in this, the most beautiful month in the year, and 
which is, at all times, a harbinger of hope to the husband- 
man. The vegetable kingdom seems to be undergoing, as it 
were, a magic change, under the influence of the mild atmos- 
phere of the last few hours, and which will be much im- 
proved by the gentle showers of this morning. Our Compa- 
ny, this morning, divided into messes, each mess having ten 
men in it ; formerly three or four of the boys done the cook- 
ing for the. whole Company, but after this each mess will do 
its own cooking. There was a report circulated in Camp 
this morning, by some means or other, that the 19th and 
20th Regiments would more than likely be disbanded, the 
State having no use for any more three month's troops, they 
being more of a burthen than a benefit to the government. 
How the report got started, or who the author of it is, I 
could not find out, but it had the effect of raising quite an 
excitement, and a great deal of* speculation among the boys 
of the Camp. For my part, I do not believe one particle of 
the report has got any foundation whatever ; it is like most 
all other Camp reports, all moonshine, and not entitled to 
the least bit of credence. For the first time since we have 
been in Camp Goddard, I took a stroll through the City of 
Zanesville this morning, and I must confess, that I was very 
much surprised to see the amount of business there is done 
• here, although I have been informed by some of the citizens 
that business has not been so dull for many years in Zanes- 
ville, as it is this summer, and I have very good reasons to 
believe that that is the truth, for some in fact, if not all the 
largest manufacturing establishments in the city, are at this 
time standing idle, the war excitement having thrown every 
thing else in the shade. I must here again say something 
more about the citizens of this little City of the Muskingum 
Valley; I have invariably found them courteous, kind and 
hospitable ; there is no place that we have been, that we 
have had so much kindness shown to us since we have been 
in Camp Goddard ; there does not appear to be the least bit 
of selfishness about them, their generosity appearing to have 
no bounds. It would naturally be supposed that their phi- 
lanthrophy would be pretty near exhausted, but such is not 
the case. Although .there have been troops quartered among 



22 

them over since the marshaling of troops commenced, and 
their generosity has been pretty severely tested, still they 
are willing to give, give, give, and willing to do anything 
that lavs in their power to make the soldiers comfortabl 
foel at home while they are quartered' in their midst. Th< 
ladies of Zanesville, God bless their kind hearts and pretty 
faces, have shown themselves to be true, genuine daughters 
of freedom. We have received from them substantia! 
dfon :es in the form of various little luxuries, such as \iv have 
Dot had since we left our own loved homes, of the gooi 
of their hearts, and the interest that they take in the welfare 
of t hose who have undertaken to vindicate the rights of our 

fovernment and sustain the honor of our common country. 
iong may they live to greet the gallant boys of the old' 
Buckeye State with their kindest and most bewitching smiles; 
and may they live to see the enemies of our country anni- 
hilated, and freedom established from the far East to the far 
West, and from the chilly North to the farthest part of the 
sunny South; and then long may they live to enjoy that 
freedom which their fair hands has so much contributed to 
establish. 

SUNDAY, June 2. — This morning dawns upon us with a 
thick, heavy pall of fog, hiding everything Irom view, and 
making our Camp look very cheerless; the grass and 1 
are wet, and the mud is laving thick around the doors of our 
barracks this morning, which makes it verydisagreable get- 
mg about, but if the sun could shine on us for a few I 
it would make quite a difference in the appearance of the 
Camp. Our Regiment received their knapsacks, havelocks 
and eat ridge boxes to-day, and the boys are now trying to 
harness themselves up in their military accoutrements, 
which appear to be a pretty difficult job, for some have got 
their knapsacks on upside down and their catridge boxes 
on the wrong Bide, but after they get them tried on I presume 
they will find out where the right place is. Some thirty of 
the boys ol Company H broke through the guard and went 
to the city tasl night, and when they returned they had to 
do the Bame thing over again; but anything like an adven- 
ture, or anything that has any excitement about it, they 
appear to like amazing well. There is a spirit of jealousy 
existing between the 19th and 20th, and particularly on the 
part of the 20th, which is quite a source of fun for the 19th. 
The boys of the 20th Regiment think that the 19th is the 



favorite Regiment of the Camp, and that they have favors 
shown them that are not extended to the 20th, and when 
the boys of the 20th are on guard, if they can get one of 
our boys in the guard house they will crow over it for twen- 
ty-four hours ; but our boys have got too sharp for them, 
and in place of the 19th boys going to the guard house our 
boys have the guard house full of the 20th boys half the 
time. Our Company, with two others, Company D, Capt. 
Crane, and Company I, Capt. Hoyt, both from Ashtabula 
county, attended Church in the city this morning, at 10 
o'clock. There was a smart shower of rain this morning 
during Church hours, but we were detained but a very short 
time after service on account of the rain. The day is very 
warm, the heat being very oppresive, without even the faint- 
est sign of a breeze. By the time we got back from Church 
the boys were pretty well warmed up, having walked fast 
to keep from getting wet with the rain, but completely wet- 
ing our shirts with sweat. This afternoon we had a hard 
rain, accompanied with thunder and lightening, which I 
hope will cool the air a little, for the heat has been oppres- 
sive all day. 

Monday, June 3. — The weather this morning is much 
unsettled, and still having the appearance of more rain. 
Between nine and ten in the morning the clouds broke away, 
and the sun came out with a heat almost beyond endurance; 
and at four o'clock it commenced to thunder, and it was not 
long till we had as nice a thunder-storm as any one could 
wish for. Our Camp looks rather hard after the rain ; there 
is a little too much mud and a great deal more water than 
is any way convenient, it having rained so hard that the 
water is standing in pools all. over the Camp. There is 
nothing of any importance going on, the boys all being 
housed up on account of the rain, therefore there is a scar- 
city of news. There is one thing that I must mention ; it 
is almost miraculous to see the rapid strides that vegetation 
is making under the hot sun and warm showers of the last 
few days. The health of the Camp is good, there being very 
few cases in hospital, and not one of our company being on 
the sick list, every one of them being in a condition to take 
their rations. 

Tuesday, June 4. — The weather this morning is still 
much unsettled, the prospect being rather better for more 
rain than for sunshine. It rained nearly all last night, and 



24 

this morning our Camp is in rather a hard looking condition, 
the mud laying around our barracks thia morning in a black 
I rly shoe fcop deep. We received intelligence that 

there had been a collision between the Ohio J4ih Regiment 
and the rebels at Phillippi, Barbour Co., Virginia; the sub- 
stance ol the reporl is thai I In i Ohio boys came off victorious 
with the Loss of one man, while the rebel loss amounted to 
twenty killed and wounded and one hundred prisoners. The 
report needs confirmation, but I presume we will get the 
official account in a few days. Our Regiment is getting 
much dissatisfied, having to be cooped here in Camp in Ohio 
while other Ohio troops, not any more efficient than we 
are in Virginia beating back the enemy, and doing somthing 
that is an honor to themselves and a benefit to the country 
while we are here doing nothing but consuming bread and 
meat and killing time, have nothing else to kill, not even a 
shadow of a secesh to kick at, let alone the substance to 
shoot at. There were some of the buys out last night on a 
special duty, which they term chicken duty ; t] 
were no1 detailed by the officers, but specially detail 
themselves ; their object, as far as I could learn, was to see in 
what condition the hen-roosts was in around among the 
farmers in the vicinity of the Camp. I have not heard I 
report but I presume it is satisfactory to themselves, if no1 
to farmers wh honor of receiving a visit from them. 

All the information that I can give is that there were 
of them thai were rather Late coming into camp, but 1 
presumed they returned as soon as they were relieved from 
their duty. 

Wednesday, June 5. — The weather still continues wet 
and disagreeable; it rained nearly all night Last night, and 
is still raining this morning. Tne deep mud around our 
Barracks lb rather inconvenient; the men in tram 
through it carry it through the quarters and carry it, into 
the bunk our bunks this morning lo like 

pig stye than anything I can compare them to. The wet 
weather of thi \ days has had the effect of making 

considerable sickness among the boys'; there were ten or 
twelve patients from the different companies of our Regi- 
ment taken to the hospital in the last twenty-four hours, 
four of the number being taken from Co. II. The prevail- 
ing diseases appears to be the measles and the bilious fever. 
If tke weather continues to be as wet for the next as it has 



25 

been for the past week I would not be much surprised if 
the hospital would have a great many more occupants than 
it has at present. A change in the weather now from the 
damp, disagreeable air of the last three or four days to good 
dry, wholesome air, and plenty of sunshine, would most 
assuredly have a very beneficial effect on the health of the 
troops now in Camp. There have been three deaths in our 
hospital in the last three days, all the victims being from 
the 20th Regiment. While I am writing, there are two or 
three Companies of the 20th marching out of Camp to pro- 
ceed to the city to bury one of their comrades that died in 
the hospital last night, the same Regiment having buried 
two others only three or four days before. 

Thursday, June 6. — The weather this morning is some- 
what better than for the last few days ; the sun is trying to 
shine, and if it was not for the thick heavy fog that sur- 
rounds us, the morning would be pleasant compared to the 
three or four mornings previous. But I do not think wet 
weather is over yet ; I do not like the looks of the thick fog 
that obscures everything from view this morning, and would 
not be surprised if we had more rain before the day is over. 
The good citizens of Zanesville gave the soldiers in Camp a 
picnic this afternoon, the ladies furnishing the good things, 
inviting the 19th and 20th to partake equally of the luxur- 
ies so kindly furnished by them; but, as it happened, the 
20th got the lions share, while our boys came out behind, 
not getting a smell of anything, while the boys of the 20th 
got enough to last them two or three days ; but I think they 
needed it worse than we did, at least they appeared to be in 
a very great hurry to get it. There are some of them, I 
should think by their looks, that are better calculated to eat 
pie and ginger-bread than anything they could be put to, at 
least it came very natural to some of them that I saw. 

Friday, June 7. — There was another heavy shower of rain 
this morning about three o'clock, and if I am not mistaken, 
there will be more before the sun goes down ; the atmosphere 
this morning is warm and sultry which is a very good sign 
of rain. The boys in our Regiment received to-day from the 
ladies of the city of Zanesville and Putnam, each a nice 
linen cap cover or haverlock, for the protection of the head 
from the sun ; we also received some nice muslin shirts, for 
which we tender our most hearty thanks to the fair doners. 
If there is one place in the State of Ohio that the ladies have 



26 

made th< inspicious for their kind consideratio 

toward the brave volunteers, that place ia theOity of Zanes- 
ville. The soldiers that have had the good fortune to be 
station, d at Camp Goddard, should cherish with grateful 

hearts th ranee of these noble ones that came for- 

ward with loving hearts and open hands, and iheir 

many wants, and added a great many necessary articles to 
make them ortable as possible. Long may they live 

joy the reptuation they have gained by their kindness 

la the de erving. 
Saturday, June S. — The wether looks more settled this 
morning than it has for the last week, the sun came up bright 
and clear, with a fair prospect of having a pleasant day. 
8 <■/. /'. M. This has been one of the finest days we have 
had for the last eight days ; we have had plenty of sunshine, 
with. -1 breeze all day , which had the effect of mak- 

ing every thing and every body look gay and cheerful. — 
There is quite a - larcity of news to-day, there being nothing 
ipt the regular old routine of eat and drill, eat 
and drill, eat, drill and sleep, with the intervals between 
filled up by playing cards and pitching pennies, which is the 
oid_\- pastime that some of the boys appear to think at all 
worthy of consideration, altho' there is quite a number that 
prefer reading the news or anything else they can gel hold of. 
SUNDAY, Ji m: 9. — The weather this morning is clear and 
warm, without any signs of immediate change. The health 

camp is improved, in the last few days, there not being 
any Bent to the hospital for some time; and some returning 
from it. The boya have got up the old topic again this 
morning, the question being, What is to be done with the 
L9th Regimenl ? Some wag, no doubt, started the report 
mp this morning to the effect that the 19th would cer- 
tainly be disbanded and sent home, unless they enlisted for 
three years or during the war. The report has had the 
I lising a great deal of excitement, but I thuds: if 
'■•add keep a little cool, and look at the thing in 
a reasonable way, they would see directly that there is no 
foundation whatever for such reports, and that they are only 
worrying themselves for nothing; at least that is my opinion 
of the whole matter. The Regiment ia now fully armed 
and nearly fully uniformed, and it is not very Likely that 
the Government would have gone to the trouble to do that 
much, and then send us home without doing anything to pay 



27 

for all the expense that it has been to. For my part I think 
the thing looks perfectly preposterous viewed in that kind 
of light ; my opinion is that if we only have a little patience, 
(an article that some of the boys are entirely destitute of,) 
that we will have plenty to do inside of three months. 

Monday, June 10. — The weather is yet clear and pleas- 
ant, and plenty warm enough for the season. The grain in 
this part of the State looks unusually fine for this time of 
year, and all kinds of vegetation is coming to perfection 
with the most rapid strides. There is still considerable 
sickness in Camp, and I fear that if we have to stay here 
much longer that it will be on the increase, instead of de- 
creasing, as I hoped it would, when the wet weather was 
over. Our Camp is beginning to have a very bad smell, 
particularly in the morning and evening. It is nothing 
more than natural that there would be more or less offensive 
smells about a plnce where there is so many men living 
together, in such a small space of ground, and particularly 
where there is so m'uch offal of every description thrown 
promiscuously round the Camp. You may look most any 
way, and you will see decayed meat, vegetables, and every 
thing else that is offensive, and which is well calculated to 
create malaria ; and if the hot weather continue, and the 
Camp is not cleansed in some way or other, I would just as 
leave be some place else as here. 

Tuesday, June 11. — The weather is still clear and warm, 
a little too warm for comfort. There are very few of the 
boys of the 19 bh in the hospital at this time, I believe only 
five, two of them being from my own company. More 
speculating on the disposition of the Regiment ; the talk is 
now, that we stay here until the expiration of our time, 
when we will be sent home; but I have got tired of all these 
surmises, and for my part intend to take things as they come, 
be they good or bad. Our Drum and Fife Majors, with 
some others of the martial band, waited on our Colonel yes- 
terday and asked for a discharge from the service, there not 
being the least use for us here, but the Colonel said no; 
which convinces me that we are not going either to disband 
or stay here all summer. I think that it is more than likely 
that we will be here perhaps two weeks yet, and then, if I 
am not much mistaken, we will be very apt to see Either 
Virginia or Maryland. Time will tell all things. r 

Wednesday, June 12. — The weatht r has been somewhat 



28 

changeable the last twelve hours ; we had some pretty smart 
showers of rain during the night, but the sun La shining 
again this morning with a fierceness hardly to be b< 

has nothing of any importance happened in Camp for 
tli- 1 lasl four and twenty hours, the regular old routine of 
Camp duty being the order of the day, accompanied with 
the usual amounl of card playing and penny pitching a 
niece to the programme. Our Colonel is now u 
lumbus, and the BUpposition is that his business has some 
connection, in some shape or other, with the future move- 
ments of the 19th Regiment which I think is the case. We 
have not yet got our full uniform, and I think likely that 
this is the business the Colonel is attending to in Columbus. 
The boys are all getting tired of this inactive life that we 
are living now, and there is some dissatisfaction among them, 
arising from the fact that two companies are now in Virgin- 
ia doing some good for the country, and gaining credit for 
themselves, while the balance of us are laying in Camj 
doing nothing. There is still some sickness among the men 
but not as much as there was a week ago. There are a few 
cases of Bicknesa in Camp that have been brought on by 
drunkenness and exposure, which I think has been the case LB 
more instances than one ; then there are some who are always 
too sick to do duty, but every time they can get out of Camp 
they will go to the city, and run around for hours, and when 
they cantiot get passed through the gate they most generally 
manage to pass themselves through the guard, and over the 
fence in double quick time ; but as a general thing the boya 
do their duty with a very good grace, with perhaps a wry 

] w i sceptions. The 20th Regimenl is still our neighbors, 

although the intercourse between us is very limited, there 

still being rather a hard feeling existing between them, but 

never amounting to anything more then putting one ami 
another in tie' guardhouse as often aa they can liml a chance 
to do BO. 

THURSDAY, JUNE 13. — The sun came up this morning 
looking led, fiery, showing pretty conclusively that we will 
have a pretty warm day. There has not been any change, 
or anything of any importance going on in Cam}) for the 
last twentv-four hours, the regular Camp duty being the 
speci. ' order of the day, interspersed occasionally with a 
few cin^s of drunkenness and disorder. Our drummer and 
myself took a stroll utt of Camp- this morning, and are uo v 






V 



29 

in a beatitiul grove about three-fourths of a mile from the 
Camp, where we are both busily engaged in writing. I am 
now writing these lines in my note book, while he is writing 
something of perhaps more importance, at least to himself 
— for instance* a letter to his father and mother, or sister, 
or brother, or perhaps of something of still more importance 
to him, a nice little billet to his dear little dulcina. the 
latter I think being the most probable, by the sly way that 
he was doing the job; but be that as it may, we are both 
enjoying with a very good grace a roll on the fresh green 
grass, in the shade of the sturdy oaks that crown the top of 
the hill on which we were sitting. It is certainly a great 
luxury to get away from the noise and confusion of Camp, 
and away from the foul stench that assails one's olfactory 
organs every place he goes. There was a report circulated 
this afternoon that the Regiment would leave this place in 
the morning for some point in Western Virginia, which had 
the effect of making our Camp for a short time look like a 
wasp's nest stirred up with a sharp stick ; every man had 
his knapsack packed and ready to move in a very short 
time. I do not know how much truth there is in the report, 
as far as leaving to-morrow goes, but I think that we will 
leave this Camp very soon, perhaps the last of the week or 
early in next week. Five Companies of the 20th left Camp 
this afternoon for some point East of here, but I could not 
learn their destination, any farther than they go from this 
place to Bellair ; and the supposition is that they go to take 
the place of Companies A. and B., of our Regiment so that 
they can join their Regiment at Bellair, that being the place 
we go to when we leave Camp Goddard. But where we go 
to from that place I am not positive, but I have a very good 
reason to think that we will be sent from there into Souths 
western Virginia, perhaps to Charleston, perhaps no farther 
then Parkersburgh. 

Friday, June 14.— -The weather this morning is clear and 
warm. The excitement raised in Camp yesterday of our 
expected departure this morning for Virginia has somewhat 
abated; the Regiment has not yet recived any orders to 
move from our present position. There is no reliance to be 
put in any of the reports circulated, therefore we will just 
have to bide our time, and take things as they come. Two 
more Companies of the 20th left Camp this morning for Bel- 
lair, Our Regiment, with our splendid Regimental Band, 



30 

accompanying thcra to the city as an escort, while at the 
same time the 17th Regiment 0. V. M., marched into Camp, 
and is ii"\v making themselves as comfortable as possible 
along with the boys of the 10th. The three remaining Com- 
panies of the 20th leave in the morning for the same place 
that the other seven Companies went to. Our Regiment i? 
still expecting orders to move, but there is no certainty when 
we will go. There has nothing of any note transpired if' 
Camp to-day more than usual, except the departure of the 
20th and the arrival of the 17th. There was a report r< 
fed here by some means or other, that the government troopp 
have been defeated at or near Harper's Ferry, with the low- 
of seven hundred men, but I think the report is all a hoax, 
at least I did not see anything in the Zanesville papers this 
morning relating to the matter. 

Sati hjiA v, Juke 15. — The weather this morning still clear 
and warm, there being no apparent change for the lastthre? 
or four days. The health of the Camp has improved in the 
last few days, there being but three or four of the be 
the 19th in the hospital. The three remaining Com] 
of the 20th marched out of Camp this morning, ami will 
proceed to Bellair, at which place they join the balance of 
their Regiment that preceeded them, There are .still the 
17th and eight Companies of the 19th in Camp hoe. about 
the same number of men as there was before the departure 
of the 20th and arrival of the 17th. The 17th is a . 
looking Ri giment, much finer looking men than t 1 

20th, although there were a few Companies in the 20th 
thai were as fine looking fellows as you would wish to 
The 17th came from Camp Lancaster, Fairfield county. to 
this place, and will likely leave farere when we do. OiH 
Regiment received the balance of their uniforms this i 

i, which consisted in gray jacket, made in military BtyU 
with the /•; Pluribus Umim- buttons as triming; it i- tin 
best article thai we have received from government, b< i 
the other clothing not being worth the thread thai sewed 
them up. The b; vb have now got a full suit of clothing from 
overnment, but still there are some of them that have 
not got any uniform, for their britches went to rags in leal 
a week after they put them on. 

Sunday, .1 ONE 1 6. — The weather is still clear and pleasant. 
The long looked for and anxiously expected uews has arrived. 
Our Regiment received orders to be ready to leave this place 



31 

at 6 o'clock this morning, to proceed from here to Bellair, 
The 17th received orders to move at the same time, to the 
same place. At the appointed time the two Regiments 
marched out of Camp and proceeded to the Railroad Station 
to take the Cars for Bellair, the 17th taking the lead; but 
after the 17th got aboard, and the train moved off, we found 
that we had to take passage on board of a train of stock 
cars or stay where we were. Our Colonel concluded to keep 
his men in Camp another day, rather than stable them up 
like a drove of mules in the old stock train ; so we marched 
back to Camp, and put the day in as best we could till 6 
o'clock in the evening, at which time we got a train of pas- 
senger cars on which we embarked and made our way to 
Bellair, arriving at that place at 2 o'clock in the morning, 
without any accidents or any adventure worthy of note, the 
boys all pretty tired of their night's ride. After the boys 
got out of the cars, the Regiment formed and marched to 
their barracks prepared for them, which was nothing more 
or less than an old Engine and Car House, fixed up for the 
accommodation of soldiers on their way into Virginia. The 
17th Regiment getting here some twelve or fourteen hours 
ahead of us, had taken posession of some Steamers laying in 
the River, and when we arrived we found them ensconsed 
comfortably on board these Steamers. I was informed that 
there was ten or twelve Steamers laying ready to take the 
two Regiments down the River, to start in the morning.— 
This information confirms what I mentioned three or four 
days ago, that I thought we would be sent into South-west- 
ern Virginia. 

Monday, June 17. — The weather this morning is still 
clear and pleasant, without the least sign of any change at 
least for some time. There is quite a stirring time here this 
morning. There are three Regiments here, that is, at Bellair 
and Ben wood. Benwood is opposite Bellair, on the Virginia 
side of the river. The boys have a tine view of " Dixie's 
Land" this morning, all of them appearing to be anxious 
to get their feet on Southern soil, although there is no 
secesh in this part of Virginia. Companies A. and B. are 
here, having been here for some time awaiting the arrival of 
the Regiment. Our Regiment is now all together, and will 
all move together when we leave this place. ' I think by the 
looks of things that the 19th is going to make a pretty long 
trip before their time of service expires. There are any 



32 

amount of army Stores being shipped here this morning. 
Bach as provisions, horse feed, amunition, and everything 
that is necessary for a campaign among the mountains of 
Virginia. The. boya are all in good spirits and appear to 
enjoy their expected trip down the beautiful Ohio. This 
place is called Camp Jefferson, but is nothing more then a 
distributing point, as it were, for the Ohio troops on their 
way bo Virginia. 

TUESDAY, June 18. — The weather this morning is yet clear 
and warm. The two Regiments are still laying here on 
board the Steamers waning further orders, and expecting to 
go at any minute. The 20th Regiment crossed into Virginia 
yesterday, took a train of ears on the Baltimore & I >hio Rail- 
road, and moved olf towards secessiondom. The boys are 
getting tired Laying bere, and want to be on the move ; and 
I think the sooner we get from this place the better it will 
be for some of them. There appears to be any amount of 
bad whiskey bere, and some of the lads have been wild foi 
the last i twenty-four hours ; audi am thinking if they do 
not stop pretty sunn, that some of them will begin to find 
snakes in their boots and bricks in their hats before they are 
aware of their presence. Some of the boys got so much bad 
whiskey to-day that it came pn tty near killing them, whea 
some of the boys seeing the ("edition their comrades were 
»n by drinking the poison stuff, collected from the different 
Companies of the Regiment about two hundred, and went 
from one end of the town to tin- other, and destroyed all the 
liquor they could find. They poured oul nearly can- hundred 
barrels, cleaning out bars, celli rs, drug stores, and every 
place thi'v could lind any of the critter. 

Wednesday, June 19.— The weather is still clear and 
warm) withoul any signs of any charge taking place any 
time soon. There are some of the boys Look hard this morn* 
lug; some loot: as if they had been through the war in place 
of going to it, and [ presume that some of them feel as hard. 
. look. The excitement over the whiskey insurrection 
had pretty nearly cooled down, but y >u m j vory easily 
suppose that tli" L9th regiment is anything else than a favor- 
ite with the citizens of Bellair. Our flieel of steamers left 
Bellair this morning and after a pleasant trip of ten hours 
we arrived In Marietta. Our fieel of boats is now lying at 
the wharf. Marietta is a pretty little town, situated on the 
North Side of the Ohio river and the West side of the Mus- 



kingum. It is in Washington County, Ohio, and is one 
among the oldest places in the State. Point Harmer, which 
lies on the opposite side of the . Muskingum, is an old 
military post of many years gone past. It was a place held 
as a fort or rallying point for the brave old pioneers of Ohio, 
as early as 1780 ; and many a brave heart has left Fort 
Harmer, either to hunt the wild deer of the then Western 
wilderness, or the still wilder savage, that has never re- 
turned to his friends and his fireside, being killed and 
scalped by the Indians, and his body devoured by wolves. 
Such was the fate of many at that time. 

Thursday, June 20.— The weather this morning was 
clear and very warm. We lay here nearly all this day 
with nothing going on of any interest. It is very tiresome 
to lay around on a boat all day long, particularly when 
there are so many of us together. We left Marietta this 
evening, and run down to Parkersburgh, a distance of twelve 
miles, where we arrived about dark. The boys, I believe, 
were glad to get on terra firma again, having been on the 
boats u since Monday morning. They all appear to be in 
good spirits, and the most of them in good health, there 
being very few cases of sickness in the hospital. We are 
now laying here in Camp Kanawha. The Camp is composed 
of a variety of accommodations, such as old freight cars, old 
saw mills, tan houses, carpenter shops, and most any place 
where a man can find a good place to pile himself down. 

Friday June 21. — The weather still continues very warm; 
the heat in the middle of the day is almost suffocating. It 
is a great relief to get in the shade, some place along the 
bank of the river, for that is all the place that there -appears 
to be any air stirring. There is now about 6000 soldiers in 
the neighborhood of Parkersburgh, and there are great pre- 
parations going on to push them further on into the interior 
of the State. Parkersburgh is the county town of Wood 
County, Virginia, and contains as far as I could learn by in- 
quiry, about three thousand three hundred inhabitants. It 
is a neat place, there being some good buildings here. It is 
situated on the South side of the Ohio and the East side of 
the Little Kanawha river, and is built directly in the angle* 
formed by the junction of the two rivers, the Ohio and Kan- 
awha coming together at nearly right angles. The town is 
well situated for a place of business, the Ohio river the 
greatest part of the year being in navigable condition with 
3 



34 

a good landing for large class steamers with a railroad in 
good running order from here to Grafton, where it connects 
with the main trunk of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, a 
distance of 105 miles from this place. 

Saturday, June 22. — The weather still continues dry and 
warm, or I might say almost hot, the mornings and evenings 
are middling comfortable, but from nine in the morning till 
five in the evening the heat is almost unbearable. Our 
Regiment is still laying in Camp Kanawha ; the boys have 
fine times here, our Camp is on the bank of the river, and 
the boys have good times fishing, (making more water hauls 
then any other kind,) swimming and riding in the skills that 
are lying along the river. There are yet no signs of our 
moving from this place. The Regiment has regular drill 
every day by Companies, besides dress parade every evening. 
The boys have all been furnished with cartridges since we 
have been in Virginia, therefore it appears a little more like 
soldiering since we got full cartridge boxes and can smell 
gunpowder once in a while. Our night sentinels now stand 
with loaded muskets, and in case any rebels should show 
their ugly mugs we will be prepared to receive them. There 
has not a thing of any consequence taken place to-day, 
nothing more then the regular routine of Camp life being 
the order of the day. As far as I know, the boys are all 
well, there being only five in the hospital from the Regiment 

Sunday, June 23. — The weather still continues dry and 
very warm. The Regiment is still laying in Camp Kanaw- 
ha, expecting and awaiting orders to further movements 
towards the interior of the country. This place does not 
euit our boys, there is no secessionists here, and the boys 
are beginning to think that if they are going to hunt them 
and whip them, that it would be well to be at it and not 
stay bo long here. This is Sunday morning, the first Sunday 
that we have seen in the State of Virginia, but it does not 
appear much like Sunday although there are some of us pre- 
paring to go to church, and the citizens of Parkersburgh are 
also mailing their way to church from every part of the town. 
I have not yet said anything about the Virginians. I will 
now give you a description of the citizens of Parkersburgh. 
In the first place they look very much like other people ; in 
the second place they act pretty much like other people; in 
the third place they live much like other people, and in the 
fourth and last place, I think they are very much like other 



35 

people; all the diffeience that I can see between the citizens 
of Parkersburgh, Virginia, and the people of Ohio, directly 
opposite them, is as I should think just about one quarter of 
a mile, which is about the width of the Ohio river at this 
place. There are no rebels here and every man you come 
in contact with takes as much interest in the prosecution 
and speedy termination of this war in favor of the general 
government, and the maintenance of the Union as any man 
in Ohio. There has nothing of any importance trans- 
pired in Camp to-day. The boys are all engaged at some- 
thing or other to put in the time ; some of them are reading, 
some of them writing, some sleeping, some washing their 
clothes, some bathing in the river, and some playing cards, 
while the balance are standing guard. This has been one, 
if not quite the hottest day in the season ; the sun has shone 
all day with a perfect glare making the ground as hot as if 
there had been fire on it. There is no air stirring, it being 
perfectly calm which makes the heat a great deal more 
oppressive. Oh, for a good heavy shower of rain to cool 
this suffocating, heated air, that we have to endure for eight 
or ten hours every day, but this day in particular. 

Monday, June 24. — The weather this morning is clear 
and warm, our Regiment is still here in Camp Kanawha, 
but expect to move sometime during the day, the place that 
we go to from here is not known, all the information that I 
can give is that we take the cars on the south-west branch 
of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, and start toward Graf- 
ton, but I do not know how far we will go or when we will 
stop, we received orders this forenoon to be ready to move at 
eleven o'clock, when after gathering up our traps and put- 
ting into our haversacks twenty-four hours rations, which 
consisted of six hard crackers and about one half pound of 
salt beef each, we stowed ourselves away in a train of old 
dirty freight cars ready for transportation to any place they 
have a mind to take us. We went aboard of the cars at 
about ten o'clock, but we lay there all day till six o'clock in 
the evening, the cause of our detention was there was a large 
amount of freight, such as provisions, horse feed, camp 
equipage, wagons, horses and all necessary articles for sup- 
port and use of an army to be shipped on the cars and ac- 
company the Regiment where ever the Regiment went. At 
six o'clock our long train started on our winding way toward* 
the interior of the land of secession, rattle snakes, rough: 



36 

mountains, and bad whiskey, although the whiskey is no 
worse than in the State of Ohio. 

Tuesday, June 125. — The weather this morning feels 
cool although it Lb clear, we arrited here this morning in the 
town oi I !li rksburgh, having rode all night in the old freight 
train from Parkersburgh to this place, a distance of about 
eighty-tiv.' miles, being underground I presume longer than 

jev was before, or will be again till each one of i 
own little underground habitation. I have often road oi the 
underground Railroad of our free Northern States, but 1 
never supposed that the Virginians had any sujh institul 
along witli their other southeren brethren being entirely op 

I to such improvements, I believe there is no less than 
twenty-three tunnels between Parkersburgh and Clark.- 
burgh. Clarksburgh is the county town of Harrison county, 
Virginia, ami is according to the decision of the Wheeling 
convention, to be the future capital of the State of Vir- 
ginia. The town is situated on Tiger Creek and contains some 
four hundred inhabitants. 

WEDNESDAY, June 26. — There has been a change in the 
weather in the last twenty-four hours, it commenced to ram 
this morning about 2 o'clock and has continued to rain 
Bince ; and at the same time the air is so hot and oppe 
that it isalmosl unbearable. There is all kinds of surmises 

Oamp, to-day, in relation to our prospect of having b 
of a figfyt with the rebels in this part of Virginia, for my 

Sart 1 do npl believe we will see the face of a Becessiofl 
i.-r for the next ten <lays, unless we get a little iur 
civilization than we have here. There is quite a large num- 
ber of troops at this point. I think about six Regim 
with one fine battery of held artillery ; the Regimenl 
the Ole- 3rd, lth, 18th, and 10th, the Indiana 8th and 10th 
with tii Michigan Artillery. The two Indiana Regiments 
leaves this evening, accompanied by the Artillery to 

m#ve on towards Buckhannon, the county town of Upsher 
county, where there is understood to be a rebel force -tation- 
ed and committing all kinds oi' depredations. Our Regi- 
ment received orders this evening to strike tents and be 
ready to march at three o'clock in the morning. 

Thursday June i^T. — The weather this morning is clear, 
and the sun shining pretty hot, we had a pretty hard rain last 
evening/but there is not many traces of it left this morning 
more than the few puddles of dirty water .that we see laying 



37 

in the road as we pass over them. We left Clarksburgh this 
morning about five o'clock and made our way toward the 
town of Buckhannon, when marching eight or ten miles we 
stopped and camped for the night, pithcing our tents near 
the encampment of the Indiana 8th and 10th Regiments. — 
As this was the first march that the boys have had it went 
pretty hard with some of them ; the Camp I have, named 
Tiger Valley Camp ; and is nothing more than a Camp in 
woods on the south branch of the Big Tiger .Creek, our 
Camp ground is partly on the Creek bottom and partly on 
the hill side ; the Indiana boys took the bottom while the 
19th Camped on the hill side which would have been a very 
pleasant place if water had been handy, but we had to carry 
our water about three fourths of a mile. This part of Vir- 
ginia is not as well watered as one would suppose who never 
had been through it ; the country is very rough and very 
poor. 

Friday, June 28. — The werther is clear and warm, we 
are still lying in Tiger Vally Camp, but we expect to- move 
on farther this afternoon ; a fine Company of Cavalry joined 
us last night, they are well mounted, well armed and have 
the appearance of men that could stand a good many hard 
knocks ; they hail from the good liberty loving city of Chi- 
cago and will be a formidable addition to our brigade ; there 
was also three other Regiments of Ohio Infantry joined us 
this afternoon, the 3rd, 4th and 17th, or only a part of the 
17th. Our Brigade now consists of the Ohio 3rd, 4th, 17th 
and 19th, and the Indiana 8th and 10th with the Michigan 
Artillery, and the Chicago Cavalry ; making in the ag- 
regate about or something over 6000 men. Our Ohio boys 
are as fine a looking lot of men as there can be mustered 
together in any State in the Union; they are strong, athle- 
tic looking fellows with plenty bone and sinue and doubt 
plenty of nerve to back it up. The Indiana boys are also 
a fine looking set of fellows, who have apparently the right 
kind of staff in them and will no doubt be the right kind of 
boys to fight by the side of. The whole of the brigade moves 
from this place together under the immediate command of 
Brigadier General Rosecrans. 

Saturday, June 29. — The weather has underwent some- 
what of a change during the last few hours, we left Tiger 
Valley Camp yestarday at 4 o'clock and marched 6 miles 
when we encamped for the night, it commenced to rain just 



38 

at dark and rained nearly all the night ; there was some of 
the Companies that did not get their tents brought from the 
last Camp, the teams being sent back to Clarksburgh lor 
provisions, therefore some of the Companies (Company II 
being of that number) had to lay down on tne wet gran 
and lay there all night exposed to the rain, the men in the 
morning looking like so many musk rate crawling from then- 
holes. This Camp I have christened Cam}) Hid Ink in, there 
being a Bmall stream of water at the foot of the hill on 
which our tents were [itched by that name. Some of our boy* 
killed three or lour fat bullocks last night after we came 
here, so if our waggons get here any time this forenoon we 
will have some breakfast, but if they do not come before 
noon we will have to wail and take our breakfast this after- 
noon, for we have not got either pots, kettles or pans to do 
any cooking with, everything being left behind, at the last 
Camp. Our Company waggon with the waggons of thr 
four other Companies have just arrived, (9 o'clock, A. M.) 
and tli*' boys are now preparing breakfast. It is rather a 
late breakfast hour, but the lateness, has given the boys u 
good appetite which I think will pay for the long fast I 
have had, not having eaten anything since yestarday al 
twelve o'clock. After the boys got their grid) this morning 
a great number of them went to th° creek and took a good 
bathe, some of them at the same time washing some of theii 
clothing. I did quite a job of washing myself, beside bah 
ing a good bath, which is very refreshing this warm weather. 
This afternoon we got orders from our Colonel to strike our 
tents and carry them to the foot of the hill in a fine Large 
meadow and pitch them there which we did getting through 
with the job just about dark ; and the boys feeling tired the) 
was prevailing to take a night's rest, when the orders were 
to strike tents and be ready to march in one hour. The 
orders came B i unexpected that some of the boys made sonie 
expressions that I will no1 mention. 

BUND^Y, June 30.— The weather is rather moist this 
morning, it having commenced to ram about five o'clock 
and still continues to rain moderately. The brigade moved 
last night at eleven o'clock and took its course toward 
Buckhannon ; the troops marched all night a distance ol" 
eighteen miles ariving at Buckhannon at six o'clock thi.v 
morning. There was some of the boys pretty well used up 
but still not half so bad as the Indiana boys, I believe there 



39 

-was not more than eight or ten of the boys of the 19th that 
had to leave the ranks and fall back ; but I verily believe 
that there was half of the boys in the two Indiana Regi- 
ments that had to fall back, for it appeared to me that every 
fence corner, stumps or log that we passed, we found some 
of them stopped to rest. We expected to find some of the 
rebels at Buckhannon but was disappointed, for not a rebel 
was to be found, at least none in arms. Buckhannon is the 
County town of Upsher county and is a nice, clean looking 
place, and I should think that every house had an ordinary 
family in ; would contain from three to four hundred inhabi- 
tants ; but the half of the houses are empty, all the seces- 
sionists having made a forced march to some other place, 
where the air is healthier than it is here at this time. 

Monday, July 1. — The weather is rather unsettled, the 
clouds look thick and heavy, and the prospect for more rain 
is much better than for sunshine. Our Regiment is now 
encamped in Camp Buckhannon. Our Gamp is at the edge 
of the village, on a level piece of ground, and is a very pret- 
ty place for a military Camp, providing there was not so 
many trees on the ground. This place is situated in a beau- 
tiful valley, the valley of the Buckhannon fork of Cheat 
River. The valley extends to the South-east and North-west 
&s far as the eye can see. The width of the valley differs, in 
some places it is not more than one half or three quarters of a 
mile in in width, while at other places it is two or three 
mile in width. Our boys are experiencing some of the hard- 
ships that is naturally looked for at one time or another in 
the life of a soldier. Our Regiment has got nothing to eat 
nor have they had for the last twenty-four hours, it is pretty 
hard, but I presume if we can stand it for two or three weeks 
we will get used to it. We have nothing in the shape of pro- 
visions with the exception of a few pounds of fat pork and 
a little coffee, and I do not think there is any to be had 
nearer than Clarksburgh. Some of the boys are perfectly 
desperate this morning, and begin to think that if our quar- 
ter-master does not furnish provisions for us that they will 
have to call on some of the old secession farmers in the neigh- 
borhood and order them to bring us in a supply. Some of my 
mess-mates went out this afternoon and returned with some 
nice fat chickens which our cook prepared in his best style, 
.and for once in forty-eight hours we had a perfect feast of 
chickens and corn dodgers, some of the boys having got some 



40 

coarse corn meal by some means or other, for I had no curi- 
osity to know where or how they got it, so that we got some- 
thing to eat. There was a good many of the boys out on 
foraging duty this afternoon, and I took notice that they all 
came into Camp with something to sustain the inner man, 
some had corn meal, some hams, some mutton of their own 
killing, some chickens and turkeys, and some the regular old 
Virginia leaf done up in bundles, so you may think the boys 
will both eat and smoke to-morrow. 

Tuesday, July 2. — The weather this morning is still very 
much unsettled, there being much rain for the last two days 
with a fair prospect of more before the close of the day. — 
Our living has improved a little. Our quarter-master yester- 
day furnished us with some coarse corn meal, so this morning 
we are feasting on corn cake, fat pork and coffee, which is 
much better than fasting. Our boys are still bringing in 
some poultry and such things as they can get in the provision 
line which added to the scanty supply of corn meal furnished 
by the quarter-master make our tare pretty sufficient. — 
We received supplies to-day from Clarksburgh consisting of 
mess pork and crackers, and at the same time we received 
orders that no more foraging would be tolerated under a 
penalty of a court martial with a dishonorable disc] 
from the service, so as long as pork, crackers and coffee Lasts 
we will be brought down to the old regime which we have 
been enjoying heretofore. There was a report in Camp this 
morning to the effect that the federal troops had captured 
the rebel camp at Manassas Gap, but there is not the Least 
bit of credit attached to the report. The Ohio 3d and 4th 
Regiments joined us to-day, they having remained in Tigei 
Valley Camp when we marched from that place ; there was, 
also, a line battery of U. S. Artillery joined the brigade.— 
Our force at this point now consists of the Ohio 3d, 4th, 9th, 
•10th, 19th, and four Companies of the 17th Regiment, the 
Indiana 8th and 10th with one battery of 6 pieces IT. S. Artil- 
lery, and one battery of six pieces of Michigan Artillery, and 
one Company of tllinois Dragoons with one Company of Rifle- 
men as body guard to General McClellan. Our whole force 
now amounts to about eight thousand five hundred men. I 
have come to the full conclusion that there is-tobe a forward 
movement made on some point, for the concentration of so 
many troops to this place is not all for nothing. There is 
said to be a large force of the enemy posted in a strong po- 



41 

sition some place in the vicinity of Beverly, in Randolph 
county, and I think by all appearances that our General is 
making preparations to make them a visit. The health of 
the boys of the 19th is not as good as it has been for the last 
ten days previous, but that is nothing to be wondered at 
taking all things into consideration. 

Wednesday, July 3. — The weather this morning is clear 
and warm ; our Regiment still in Camp Buckannon. I heard 
this morning that as soon as the Brigade had a supply of pro- 
visions and other necessary supplies that is now at Clarksburgh 
awaiting transportation to this place, that the army will move 
on towards Beverly, and I think that all the manoeuvers that 
are going on here confirm that information. There is nothing 
of any importance going on in our Camp more than the reg- 
ular amount of drilling, guard mounting, eating, sleeping and 
other little jobs that is generally to be attended to in a mil- 
itary Camp, with dress parade every evening, the boys as a 
general thing are in good spirits and taking events as they 
come as philosophically as they can. There is more sickness 
in the Regiment than there has been at any other time since 
we have been organized, and I would not be much surprised 
if there would be still more if we have to stay in this place 
any length of time, for I think that our Camp is in a very 
unhealthy location, being a very low piece of ground with a 
little too much shade and every morning pretty well sur- 
rounded with a thick unwholesome fog, with pools of bad 
water standing throngh the Camp. But there are supplies 
coming in pretty freely to-day; there has been a train of 
twenty or thirty wagons arrived, and if that many come 
every day the balance of the week I think that we will 
have a good stock on hand by Saturday night. I think like- 
ly we will move from here in the course of three or four 
days, or at least by the first of next week at farthest. 

Thursday, July 4. — The weather this morning is clear 
and warm. This is the fourth of July, the glorious fourth, 
the National Sabbath of the thirty millions of the great Re- 
public, the birth-day of our national independence, the day 
that is sacred to the memory of every true American heart, 
the day that every true patriot should venerate, the day that 
brings fresh to our memories the daring deeds of our patri- 
otic sires of 76, and a day that every true son of freedom 
should venerate and respect as long as this great Republic 
keeps its proud position among the great and powerful na- 



42 

tions of the earth. This day, eighty-nine years ago, Adams, 
Jefferson, Hancock, Jay, Henry, Franklin, Lee, .Sherman, 
Morris, Hopkins, Quinnet and forty-four others of the 
sturdy old patriots of that day declared that this great 
country should be free. This day eighty- nine years ago our 
forefathers were contending for the freedom of these Inited 
States against tyranny and oppression from a foreign foe, and 
to-day the true sons of those noble old sires are contending 
for the rights guaranteed to them by the declaration ot in- 
dependence against foes that are far more unprincipled and 
dangerous than the minions of Geo. Ill in the days of 76, 
but may they, as the enemies of our country did at thai 
time, be made to feel that the arms of freemen are long and 
strong and tyranny shall feel their power. At 5 o'clock this 
morning our Regimental Band playad the " Star Spangled 
Banner," " Hail Columbia," and some other national airs, 
that being about all the demonstrations made to honor this, 
to us, the most sacred day of the year. I have been all over 
the Camp this morning, and every place I go I hear the boys 
lamenting their hard fate of not being able to spend the 4th 
as they have been used to doing in Ohio. At lU o'clock this 
morning our Regiment was formed into line in the street and 
inspected by the General. There was quite an excitement, 
raised in our Camp this afternoon ; at 3 o'clock the Regi- 
ment turned out for battalion drill, but the most of the Com- 
panies being rather poorly represented, the CoLnel took 
one Company and went through the Camp and arrested every 
man that was not on duty, but in fact 1 do not blame the 
men for not being willing to do their duty, for half rations, 
bad provisions and much exposure is not very well calcula- 
ted to keep a man's spirits up to the right temperature. — 
There is a great deal of sickness among our boys, J have just 
made inquiry and am informed that there are no less than 
thirty of the boys of the 19th in the hospital, and our doc- 
tor says if we do not get better provisions and more of them 
that there will not be a man in the Regiment in less than 
a week that will be fit for duty. The Artillery Companies 
of our Brigade fired a national salute this morning, each 
battery tiring thirty-four rounds in honor of the the thirty- 
four stars on our national (lag, and which is emblematic of 
the thirty-four States of the Confederate Union. There was 
another train of provisions arrived this evening from Clarks- 
burgh, our post Commissary's department, is now getting 



43 

pretty well filled up, so that in a few days I think the divis- 
ion will move from this place and proceed on toward Bev- 
erly. 

Friday, July 5. — The weather this morning is still clear 
and very warm. The boys of the 19th were sounded on the 
three year's question again this morning. It is said now if 
there can be one hundred and ten more taken from the Kegi- 
ment as three year's men, the balance of the Regiment will 
be discharged and sent home. There was a vote taken I believe 
in each Company, which I think resulted in about one hundred 
and fifty expressing their willingness to go for three years. 
This division of the army is making preparations to carry on 
the war with great vigor, and along with other facilities there 
is now being put up a line of telegraph from Clarksburgh 
to follow the line of march as it proceeds on towards the 
mountains; the line is up and in opperation from Clarks- 
burgh to this place, a distance of thirty miles, having all 
been put up in the last week by the 18th Ohio Regiment.— 
There is still a great many of the boys sick in the hospital, 
and there are many that ought to be there if they would do 
justice to themselves, for there are plenty of them that are 
still doing their duty and look as if they were hardly able to 
stand upon their feet. The dysintary has been pretty bad 
among the boys for some time, which has pulled them down 
considerable ; it has been bad in the whole brigade ever since 
we left Clarksburgh. 

Saturday, July 6. — The weather this morning is mild 
and pleasant, with some appearance of rain; we are still lay- 
ing here doing nothing except eating hard bread and fat 
meat, not having enough of exercise to digest such food.— 
There is still much sickness in the Camp, and if we stay 
here another week and live as hard as we have for the last 
week, I am very much mistaken if we do not have more 
sickness than we have now ; inactivity, bad food and expo- 
sure being most excellent stimulants for disease of which we 
have had plenty for the last eight days. The Camp, also, 
is begining to have a very bad smell from the offal and gar- 
bage that is laying around the Camp. I have not heard any- 
thing to-day in respect to the three year business and the 
discharge of the three months troops. There was another 
fine Company of Dragoons joined the Brigade yesterday, it 
is from Cincinnati, and is a fine looking Company, and is 
well mounted and armed, and will prove of service to the 
Brigade. 



44 

SUNDAY, July 7. — This morning the weather is rather 
changeable, we arc having rain and sunshine in the same 
hour, and it is hard to tell just now which is going to pre- 
dominate, or what kind of a day we are going to have. 
There is a regular row in Camp this morning ; it will be 
recollected that when our troops came to this place one 
ago this morning, that our Regiment had no provisions, and 
the boys had to resort to foraging to keep from starring. 
There was an old secessionist came into the Camp three or four 
flays ago, and made complaint to the officers to the effect 
that some of the boys of the 19th Regiment had visited his 
premises, broke open his house and robbed him of one hun- 
dred and seventy-five dollars in gold and a gold watch, 
when after making inquiries, it was ascertained that some 
of the boys of Co. C, Capt. Barret, from Trumbull County, 
had been to the place for the purpose of getting some pro- 
visions, and the supposed theft was saddled on to them, 
when after an examination and court of inquiry, it was de- 
cided to disgrace the Company and send it back to Ohio as 
being demoralized, and to send the eight men (1st Lieuten- 
ant of the Company included,) back to Columbus under 
arrest, there to be tried by a military court for a high 
misdemeanor. The Company was actually disarmed and 
started on their way home, but I presume that the General 
thinking that the allegations against the Company as being 
demoralized might be pretty hard to sustain, had them 
brought back and their arms restored to them, but the other 
eight did return to Ohio, where it is hoped that they will 
get a fair trial and be fully exonerated from k the charge 
under which they are laying, and which I have no doubt 
will be the case when the facts are all brought to light. I 
was told by some of the neighbors of the man that should 
have lust the money, that he was never known to have that 
much money, and that he was unable to pay a debt to one 
of his neighbors, amounting, to thirty-seven cents, and that 
the report was gotten up for the purpose, and with the 
expectation of bleeding the government out of that much 
money, lie supposing that the government would refund the 
amount hack to him — a pretty good secession dodge. 

Monday, July 8.— The weather this morning is clear and 
very warm. We received orders last night to be ready to 
march at 4 o'clock in the morning; we were up and had our 
coffee and crackers, and was ready to move at the appointed 



45 

hour, but we did not leave the Camp till near 6 o'clock. We 
then took our way towards Beverly, which is thirty miles from 
Buckhannon, and at which place, we expect to see some 
secessionists, if they do not leave before we get there. Our 
course lay nearly directly East and over the mountains, and 
through as wild a looking country as ever I saw. The 
roads are good in this part of the State ; the road that we 
traveled on to-day is known as the Parkersburgh and Staun- 
ton turnpike, and is kept in repair by the State ; the road 
is the most of the way made through the defiles and gorges 
of the mountains and is nearly all the time through a thick 
forest of trees with a thick growth of underbrush, such as 
laurels, briars, hazel and other dwarf bushes, which is a 
perfect hedge all along the road and which makes it almost 
suffocating to travel on, not the least bit of fresh air being 
able to penetrate through this natural hedge. We marched 
sixteen miles to-day, and oamped on the top of a mountain. 
The boys suffered much with the heat this day, and two 
of them were sun-struck and had to be carried into Camp, 
The 3d Ohio Regiment being in advance of thebrigade, on 
Saturday morning last, sent out about fifty men on a scout, 
when about half a mile East of here and at the bridge that 
crosses the middle fork of the Cheat river, they came in 
contact with about three hundred rebels which they engaged 
skirmishing with, and which retreated towards Beverly at 
the approach of the Regiment; the 3d had one man killed 
and three slightly wounded, and the rebels had (so I was 
informed by a member of the 3d,) three killed and seven 
wounded. Our Regiment is now encamped on the top of 
the mountain, half a mile from the middle fork of Cheat 
river and about half way between Buckhannon and Beverly, 
which place I have concluded to call mountain camp. We 
can stand in the Camp and look far below u^, and see the 
tops of the trees that stand on the mountain side. 

Tuesday, July 9. — The weather this morning is clear 
and warm, after having rained nearly all last night. At 7 
o'clock this morning, the brigade pushed on toward Beverly, 
with the exception of three Companies of the 19th Regiment 
that were left at this place to guard the bridge till the 
arrival of two or three Indiana Regiments that are on their 
way between here and Buckhannon. The brigade marched 
eight miles and encamped in the valley of Roaring Creek, 
and about two miles from the foot of Rich Mountain, at 



46 

which place the boys got a Bight of what they have been 
looking, for for the last two weeks — the secession army. 
They are posted on the side of Rich Mountain, about two 
and a half miles from our Camp and apparently in a pretty 
strong position. The three Companies of our Regiment, 
that wore left at the middle fork bridge were Companies G, 
H and I, commanded by the brave old Major Buckley. 
After leaving Mountain Camp with the balance of the 
brigade, we marched down the mountain to the bridge and 
crossed over to the East side, where we pitched our tents 
and prepared to make ourselves as comfortable as possible 
till the arrival of the Indiana Regiments. Alter we had 
got ourselves comfortably fixed, the boys concluded to take 
a good wash, and in a very short time the river was full of 
the boys all enjoying themselves to their own satisfaction in 
clear and pure water of this beautiful stream, the water 
being so clear and transparent that you could see a pin lying 
on the bottom at the depth of five or six feet. The boys of 
the three Companies also took the advantage of the chance 
ofiered them and washed up their clothing while they had 
good water to do it with. Our little detachment is now 
encamped on the ground where the collision took place on 
last Saturday, between some of the boys of the Ohio 3d and 
a detaehmenl of the rebels from the Rich Mountain fortifi- 
cation. This camp is also the place where the secessionists 
encamped the night after their hasty retreat from Phillippi, 
on the 3d of June. I have just returned from a visit to the 
grave of the man that was killed here on Saturday morn- 
ing ; I have also been to examine the bridge where the 
were concealed when they made the attack 
on the handful of the boys of the Ohio 3d, and find that 
the boys mule good use of their muskets for the time they 
were engaged ; they have put a great many balls through 
the siding of the bridge, through winch they had to fire, the 
cowardly dogs, not coming out and fighting like men, but 
fighting through holes made for the purpose. There was one 
of the expected Indiana Regiments came in this evening and 
will remain here till the others come up, therefore, we will 
be relieved in the morning, and will push on and join the 
brigade. Our boys retired early this evening so as to get an 
early start in the morning, but the natural consequences of 
war are that it is hard to tell what an hour may bring forth. 
We had just got into a good sound, comfortable sleep and were 



47 

dreaming of pleasant scenes far away, when we Were awak- 
ened with a noise that would almost wake the dead. There 
was an alarm that an attack; our picket guard firing in every 
direction, with the guard around the camp also firing the 
alarm ; but as soon as the boy3 got their eyes open, and 
found out what was going on, and what was expected, they 
made the best time in forming in line that I ever saw. It 
was no more than five minutes from the time that the alarm 
was given till every man was at his post with his musket in 
hand and his hand on his cartridge box. I believe there 
was not a man in the three compaies, except two, but what 
was ready in the ranks and waiting for the appearance of 
the enemy, one of the two being so badly scared that he 
stuck his head in his haversack, so his tent mates said at 
least ; the other man was sick. The alarm was occasioned 
by the appearance of a detachment of rebels in the neigh- 
borhood of the Camp, and the firing on them by our picket 
guard. They had been sent out by Col. Pegram from the 
Camp at Rich Mountain, for the purpose of destroying the 
bridge, they not expecting to find more than our three Com- 
paies there, not knowing of the arrival of the Indiana 
Regiment, it coming in just at dark. Their intention was to 
attack our little Camp and destroy us or drive us away, and 
then burn the bridge, that being the orders that they 
received from Col. Pegram. This we found out by some 
papers that Were picked up by some of the boys after the 
capture of Fort Garnett ; but they failed to carry out any 
of the programme. "When our pickets fired into their de- 
tachment, they killed three of their number which we also 
found by documents picked up in their Camp after their 
defeat at Rich Mountain, their great anxiety to destroy the 
bridge being to cut off our wagon trains, which would be 
the means of shortening our supplies of provisions and am^ 
munition. 

Wednesday July 10. — The weather this morning is all 
that could be desired, it having rained some last evening, 
has cooled the air and made the road fine this morning for 
a nice little walk of eight miles ; at five o'clock this morn-- 
ing We pulled up stakes and took the road, when after 
marching two and a half hours we came up to the brigade 
and joined our Regiment. As I have mentioned before the 
brigade or more properly division, is encamped in Roaring 
Creek Valley about two and a half miles from the enemy, 



48 

The exact number of the enemy is not known, but accord- 
ing to the report of General McClellan after making the 
closest observations the circumstances would admit of, there 
are supposed to be from four to six thousand of them. They 
have destroyed some of the bridges in the vally, and be- 
tween their Camp and ours ; which will have to be rebuilt 
before We can make an attact on them, but our boys are a busi< 
ly engaged at reconstructing them now, so that in a very 
short time our boys will have the pleasure of introducing 
themselves to Colonel Pegram and his crew of cut throats 
on the srde of Rich Mountain. There were two or three 
Regiments of Infantry, with one battery of Artillery made 
a forward movement this afternoon but had to fall back on 
account of obstructions in the road which will have to be 
removed, the attack will perhaps not be made till morning. 
Our division is now pretty strong and is composed of the 
following troops, the Ohio 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th and 19th ; the 
' 8th, 10th, 13th and 15th Indiana, with 18 pieces Artillery 
and two Companies Dragoons, and Sturgis Rifles, in all near 
10,000 men. 

Thursday, July 11. — The weather this morning looks 
rather gloomy, with a fair prospect of rain before the day is 
over. We were called up at 11 o'clock last night and ordered 
to prepare twenty-four hours rations and be ready to move 
at 2 o'clock in the morning, the boys tumbled out, started 
their fires and commenced cooking their breakfasts and, also, 
rations sufficient for twenty-four hours. About 3 o'clock 
the attacking column was in motion and proceeded to move 
on towards the enemies position. The officers appear to have 
ehanged their plan of making the attack, and instead of 
assailing the rebel camp in front and taking it by storm, as 
their first intention was, they made a circuit of tenor twelve 
miles and came in on the rear of their position, and would 
have taken them by surprise if all things had went as de- 
sired; but the rebels captured one of our Cavalrymen bear- 
ing a mos.sage from Gen. McClellan to Gen. Roseerans, and 
by that means found out that our boys were inarching on 
them from the rear which gave them time to receive us in 
that quarter ; they brought their Artillery to the top of the 
mountain, one mile from their main fortifications, and posted 
it in such a position as to command the point at which they 
knew our troops would have to make their appearance ; they 
also constructed a breastwork of logs and stone which gave 



49 

'them much the advantage in regard to position. Our boys 
reached the brow of the mountain at or near the hour of 3 
o'clock, the firing commenced immediately on the side of 
the rebels with their artillery, but with little or no effect, 
they invariably firing over the heads of our troops. The 
Indiana 8th and 10th made the attack in front of the enemies 
lines while the Indiana 13th were posted on the extreme 
right and extreme left as skirmishers and sharp-shooters, 
while the Ohio 19th was held as a reserve directly in front 
Of the enemy and in the rear of the Indiana 9th and 10th, 
and was directly exposed to the -enemy's Artillery. The 
engagement now commenced in earnest, the enemy's whole 
line of Infantry and Riflemen pouring in volley after volley 
into the ranks of the 10th Indiana; in the mean' time" the 
Indiana 13th had silenced the enemy's batteries. The Indi- 
ana boys are still giving them round for round but begin to 
get impatient at having to fight a partly concealed enemy, 
they partly broke their line and were going to go into a 
hand to hand fight, when on seeing the intention of the 
Indiana troops, the enemy left their cover and prepared to 
meet them at the point of the bayonet, when Gen. Rosecrans 
seeing the broken ranks of the Indiana boys gave the order 
to the 19th to forward and fire, which they did with such 
coolness and precision that the enemy had to turn their back 
to us and turn to the bushes in double quick time, our boys 
following them and killing a good number as they were re- 
retreating. Our troops now have possession of the field and 
not an enemv in sight. I took a look over the contested 
ground and found that the enemy had sustained a vary heavy 
loss, while on the side of the federal troops was compara^ 
tively light, but the work was only half done, the enemy 
was defeated it is true, but they had retreated (all them 
that were not killed and wounded) to their main fortifica- 
tion, and might be able to make another stand ; and which 
our officers all supposed would be the case. But our officers, 
thinking that the boys had done enough for one day, conchi" 
ded to take up their quarters on or near the battle ground, 
and wait fill morning to give them another drubbing. Our 
boys lay on the bare ground all night, in a hard soaking 
rain, with their arms by their sides ready for anything that 
might take place ; but they were not disturbed through the 
night, but rested till morning, if it could be called resting. 
In the morning the boys were moving early, and making 
4 



50 

tlieir way towards the rebel Camp, but what was their sur- 
prise in coming in sight of their camp, in place of seeing 
long lines of armed rebels, ready to receive them, they saw 
but a few stragglers, about sixty, who laid down their arms 
and gave themselves up as prisoners. The whole secession 
force had abandoned their stronghold, and retreated through 
the mountains towards Beverly or Huttonville. The federal 
troops have now the posession of the strongest place in West- 
ern Virginia. They also have everything that belonged to- 
the rebel army, tents, horses, mules, wagons, artillery, and 
a large number of muskets and rifles along with all their 
army stores, consisting of provisions, ammunition, clothing, 
and everything else they had. Their retreat had been so 
hasty that they left their private property, trunks full of 
clothing, carpet sacks and valises full of clothing, knives, 
swords, pistols ; and even their private papers and corres- 
pondence with their friends was left behind. The number 
of killed is said to be by some 250, while some make the 
figures larger still, and others make the number less than 
200. I shall be able perhaps to give the correct account in a 
few days. The number of wounded is small compared to 
the number killed; showing that our boys did not shoot 
altogether by guess. We took 250 tents, 100 horses and 
mules, 40 wagons, 4 brass 6 pounders, together with their 
ammunition wagons and magazines, with a great number of 
harnesses, saddles, bridles, and everything pertaining to a 
well organized and well supplied army. The number of 
muskets left in the Camp and taken from the prisoners is 
one hundred and twenty. 

Friday, July 12.-— The Camp at Roaring Creek was 
broken up this morning and the Ohio 3d, 4th, 9th, 10th, and 
the Indiana 15th, with the Artillery, proceeded on to Bev- 
erly, while the Regiments that were engaged in the fight 
took possession of Camp Garnett, and will remain here till 
to-morrow morning. The boys are living pretty fat to-day 
on the good things that the seceshers left behind them ; we 
are feasting on bread and butter, ham and eggs, maple sugar 
and molasses, dried fruits, preserved fruits, jams and jellies, 
cheese and crackers, and everything that is good, while some 
of the boys found a small keg full of old whiskey, which 
was good for the occasion. The boys are now collecting the 
captured property into piles, and there appears to be vast 
quantities of it of all imaginable kinds of articles, such 



51 

as coats, pants, vests, drawers, shirts, socks, handkerchiefs, 
hats, caps, boots, shoes, with any amount of fancy and toilet 
articles, together with pots, kettles, pans, griddles, tin and 
wooden buckets, tin cups, coffee pots, teapots, coffee mills, 
candles, soap, and other articles too numerous to mention. 

Saturday, July 13.— The weather this morning is mild 
and' pleasant, with some prospect of rain. The last forty- 
eight hours has been the most eventful of the campaign ; we 
have met the enemy and defeated them on their own ground. 
Their strength in this part of Virginia is entirely broken ; we 
have captured their Camp with all the appertenances per- 
taining thereto, leaving them entirely powerless, at least 
for the time being. Our boys are all on the move this 
morning, making preparations to move on towards Beverly, 
to which place a part of the army went on yesterday. The 
whole division leave this place, with the exception of two or 
three Companies of the Indiana 13th, which remain here for 
a few days, for the purpose of destroying the rebel fortifica- 
tions, and burying the dead rebels that are still being picked 
up through the woods in great numbers. Their loss is ascer- 
tained to be much larger than was first supposed, many of 
them having died of their wounds after escaping from the 
battle ground, and are now being picked up by our boys and 
put in the ground. We received intelligence this morning 
of the defeat of the rebels by the Ohio and Indiana troops 
under Gen. Morris at Laurel Hill, and also of the death of 
Gen. Garnett. This was the last nest of the conspirators in 
this section of the State, there now being no regularly organ- 
ized band any place North of Charleston on the Kanawha 
River. Our troops left Camp Garnett this afternoon and 
marched on to Beverly, where we arrived at about 6 o'clock, 
and where we proceeded to pitch our tents and make prepa- 
rations for a night's rest. I will here give a description of 
Camp Garnett as near as possible from observations taken 
from three different points. The Camp is situated on the 
Parkersburgh and Staunton turnpike, twenty-four miles East 
of Buckhannon and six miles West of Beverly. It is situated 
at the place where the pike passes through the gorge of Rich 
Mountain, and where the road is commanded on three sides 
by high hills, on which the enemy had built their defences, 
and planted their guns so as to completely command the 
approaches each way. Their fortifications on three hills 
together, I should think, were near two miles long. Rich 



52 

Mountain is a range of mountains situated between the valley 
of Roaring Creek on the West, and the valley of the Valley 
River on the East, and is, perhaps, at its highest elevation, 
between fifteen hundred and two thousand feet above the 
valley of the Tiger valley branch of Cheat River. The range 
runs off to the North from Beverly and connects with Laurel 
Hill, and South from the same place and connects with C 
Mountain, some twenty-five miles South of this place. 

Sunday, July 14. — The weather this morning is rather 
cool. Our whole division is now encamped in Camp Beverly. 
Our camp looks like a city of miniature houses spread over 
the valley, and makes a fine appearance from a hill in the 
vicinity of our camp. Beverly is the County town of Ran- 
dolph County, and is situated in the valley of the Tiger fork 
of Cheat River, thirty miles East of Buckhannon, and one 
hundred miles West of Staunton ; the town is rather a rusty 
looking place and contains perhaps a population of two hun- 
dred and fifty inhabitants. I made a visit this morning to 
that part of our Camp occupied by the rebel prisoners, 
and took a stroll among them, and as far as my observations 
went I saw but little difference in personal appearand 
tween them and our own men. I had quite a long CO] 
sation with some of them, and found them to be very intelli- 
gent men; and came to the conclusion that if they are a fail 
representation of the Southern army, that we have no mean 
enemy to contend with as far as knowledge and physical 
strength is concerned. I also took the number of muskets and 
rifles that we now have in our possession, taken at the bat- 
tle and surrendered at this place on yesterday ; the precise 
number is 876 muskets and 150 rifles, with the same amount 
of catridge boxes and belts ; the number of prisoners i£ 
including nearly forty officers of different rank. There' is a 
detachment of our boys now forming to go a few miles from 
here to clean out a nest of rebels that are said to be a few 
miles from this place. There was also a small detachment 
sent out to open the road from here to Webster, to which 
place we go from here, and which is the place that we will 
perhaps start home from. 

Monday, July 15. — The weather this morning is very 
unpleasant, there being a thick heavy bank of clouds hang- 
ing on the mountain peaks and a thick fog rising from the 
mountain gorges ; the atmosphere being cold and chilly. 
Last night was so cold that it. was impossible to sleep, all the 



53 

covering that I had not being sufficient to keep me warm. — 
The detachment sent out last night to capture and disperse 
the rebels supposed to be a few miles from here returned this 
morning not being able to find any man that pretended to 
be a secesh soldier. There being only twelve days after this 
till our term of service expires, the boys are beginning to 
get anxious to get home, there being no prospect of us hav- 
ing anything to do in this part of Virginia. The boys are all 
pretty well there not being anything like as much sickness 
as there was before we left Buckhannon. 

Tuesday, July 16. — The weather this morning is much 
the same as it has been for the last eight and forty hours, 
cold, damp and chilly. Our Regiment is still laying in Camp 
Beverly along with the Indiana 8th, 10th and 13th, and a 
part of the Virginia 1st, while the balance of the division is 
encamped farther up the valley. We have the rebel prisoners 
in our Gamp yet, and I cannot find out what is to be done 
with them ; some of the boys say that they will be taken to 
Ohio and Indiana, and retained as prisoners of war, while 
others have it that they will be sent home on parole, which 
I think is the most likely of the two. I should think that 
something should be done with them soon, and not keep them 
here eating up our provisions, when we do not get enough 
to eat ourselves. The health of the Camp is extremely good, 
there being no sickness of anything worth mentioning; the 
boys are all in good spirits and taking the times and events 
as easy as possible. There is always an excitement attending 
the life of a soldier that has the tendency to draw his mind 
from the stern realities of Camp life and which has the effect 
of keeping up his spirits under the most trying circumstan- 
ces, this excitement alone being one of the best friends the 
soldier has for keeping him from ennui. 

Wednesday, July 17. — The weather is stjll rather un- 
settled, although it is more pleasant than for the last few 
days. Our boys are now looking for and anxiously awaiting 
orders to move from this place, and shape their course home- 
ward. We have still forty-two miles to march before we get 
to the Railroad, and when that distance is footed over the 
boys will feel much relieved in having all their hardships 
gone through with. There is nothing going on in our Camp 
that is worth mentioning ; there is no drilling done. Since 
we have been in this Camp, all the duty that is required of 
the boys is to stand their regular turns on guard, and to at- 



54 

tend dress parade once in twenty-four hours. The rebel 
prisoners that we have in our posession are being sent home 
on parole, they agreeing to serve no more in the rebel ranks 
during the war ; out for my part I put very little faith in 
their professions of honor, for I believe the same men that 
we are setting at large here will have to be whipped at some 
other place. There were four or five hundred left here this 
afternoon for eastern Virginia. 

Thursday, July 18. — The weather this morning is clear, 
the sun coming up looking red and fiery, showing signs that 
we are going to have a pretty warm day ; the heat already 
this morning at 9 o'clock being anything but moderate ; w» j 
are still in Camp Beverly awaiting events as patiently im- 
possible. The detachment sent out on last Sunday to open 
the road from here to Grafton returned this evening and re- 
port the road unobstructed from here through to that place. 
The rebels while occuping Laurel Hill, fearing a junction of 
the forces of General Morris and General Rosencrans, had 
felled trees across the road for miles between Bev.rly and 
Laurel Hill, but at present the road is clear from this place 
to Grafton. While General Rosencrans with his brigade was 
cleaning out the rebel Camp at Rich Mountain, General Mor- 
ris was at work at Laurel Hill, at which place he drove them 
away from and captured a large number of prisoners, and 
also a large amount of property, consisting of horses, wag- 
ons, tents, arms, and all kinds of army stores. 

Friday, July 19. The weather still continues extremly 
warm through the day, but the nights, with their heavy fogs 
and chilling atmosphere, are cold and uncomfortable, which I 
am inclined to think is also very unwholesome. There has 
not been any thing of interest in the Camp this forenoon, but 
at this time, 3 o'clock, there is something going on that is of 
peculiar interest to me, and no doubt to hundreds of others 
that are now gazing on the scene before them. There is 
always something impressive to my mind in the solemnities 
attending the burying of the dead, but on this occasion I feel 
these impressions still more vivid, the circumstance being 
this: On yesterday afternoon, a musician belonging to one 
of the Ohio Regiments encamped here, having leave to return 
home, started on horseback from here to Webster, where he 
intended to take the cars ; but only five miles from our Camp, 
and almost in sight of our Camp-fires, he was foully mur- 
dered, being shot from his horse while riding along unarmed 



55 

and apprehending no danger near. Particularly to an un- 
armed man, such transactions speak for themselves, and will 
perhaps open the eyes of our people who are showing so 
much leniency to the cursed assassins that we have to do and 
deal with in this God forsaken country. I am now listening 
to the funeral dirges that our bands are playing while his 
comrades are putting his remains in the ground, and I have 
come to the conclusion that men that would commit such 
crimes will surely meet with retributive justice from some 
place, if not from the hands of a justly incensed and loyal 
people, it will come from a higher power. The cause must 
be bad indeed when its supporters must resort to such deeds 
to carry their point in this accursed rebellion. Such deeds 
are nothing more than could be expected of a set of unprin- 
cipled thieves and rogues, such as Jeff Davis has got enlisted 
in the hell-begotten and hell-hatched iniquity that he is 
perpetrating against this Government, and which will surely 
as the Lord liveth, meet with divine vengeance. The men 
serving in this part of the country will hereafter be less 
inclined to take any prisoners then they formerly have, but 
will shoot all found with arms in their hands, retalliation 
perhaps being the only way that will insure the safety of our 
men when found in small parties or singly by the cursed 
rebels. 

Saturday, July 20. — Our boys are still in Camp Beverly, 
this being the eighth day since we first came here. The 
weather this morning is likely to change ; instead of sun- 
shine we have a dark threatening sky, with every prospect of 
having, a wet day, which is anything but desirable to men 
placed in the situation that we are, having no other covering 
but a few yards of canvas, and that none of the best, not 
being water proof. There were some more prisoners brought 
into Camp this morning but I suppose they will fare as 
the others did, be kept here two or three days till they 
get rested, when they will have their haversacks filled with 
provisions and be sent on their way rejoicing, that they will 
have a chance to kill some more of our men particularly 
when they can find them unarmed. There were some of our 
dragoons fired on last night from the bushes, and one man 
killed and wounding three others. Such a warfare is getting 
rather annoying, but still I do not see any way of putting a 
stop to it. It is worse than we might expect from the 
Indians of the Western prairies, and which might alone be 



56 

expected from the barbarians of the pampas of South Amer- 
ica, or the Hottentots or Bushmen of South-western Africa. 
Our boys are very tired of this place, and are anxious to 
leave it, but as yet there is nothing definite as to the time 
that we move towards home. The Indiana 8th and 10th 
move in the morning, and I think that our Regiment will 
move to-morrow or next day, or on Tuesday morning at the 
fartherest. I had a talk to-day with one of the Indiana 
boys who has been at the Rich Mountain battle ground ever 
since the fight, and he informed me that the number of 
rebels picked up and buried to the present, time amounts to 
three hundred and thirteen, the number of wounded amount- 
ed to sixty making their loss in the aggregate 373, while the 
loss on our side amounted to 18 killed and 30 wounded, mak- 
ing a loss of 48 in all. 

Sunday, July 21. — This has been the pleasantest day 
which we have had for the last week; there has been a cool, 
refreshing breeze all day, making it a great deal more pleas- 
ant than it has been at any time since we have been in Camp 
Beverly. The boys are getting very tired, of this place, ana 
are anxious to move, which I think we will do the first of the 
week. Two of the regiments of our brigade leave this morning 
for Webster, on their way home, the Indiana 8th and 10th, 
they being the same as ourselves, three mouths troops, and 
their time nearly expired. There is no sickness in the Camp 
at this time, with perhaps the exception of home sickness, 
which is middling prevalent just now. Our Regiment this 
morning was asked to stay one month over their time for the 
purpose of making a trip up the Big Kanawha river, but 
after taking a vote on the question, it was found that the 
boys were directly opposed to serving any longer under the 
present organization, and therefore refused to go, there being 
but thirteen votes in favor of the proposed, extension of time, 
five out of the thirteen being commissioned officers, who of 
course would like to serve longer if possible, it being quite 
to their advantage in a financial way, but quite to the reverse 
j.^ it regards the men in the ranks ; although if it was 
actually necessary, I think the boys would all be willing to 
«o ; but all that I have heard speak of the matter, think 
that if our services were needed in that quarter, that Gene- 
ral McClellan would make it known to us in person, and not 
leave the matter in the hands of the officers of the Regiment. 
I have heard some of the bovs make the remark this morn- 



57 

ing that it would be very convenient for the officers to pocket 
another month's pay, which to them amounts to something 
nice, while the men in the ranks have the long row to hoe, 
at the extravagant price of eleven dollars per month, half 
rations, and the curses and abuse of the officers to boot. 
But I do not think that the officers will insist on us going, 
they knowing the feelings of the men on the subject; there- 
fore I think that the matter will be dropped. ^ There has been 
nothing of any particular interest going on in Camp to-day, 
more than the burying of a few secessionists, who died in 
the hospital. 

Monday, July 22, 4 o'clock, P. M.— The weather this 
day is wet and disagreeable. It commenced to rain at an 
early hour and has rained ever since ; it has not been rain 
and sunshine alternately but it has been a regular settled 
soaking rain from five o'clock this morning up to this time, 
and is still raining. We have to stay in our tents all this 
day and feel like so many prisoners, not being able to get 
out long enough to stretch our weary limbs. The water 
stands in puddles all over our Camp and the mud around 
our quarters is anything but agreeable. We received this 
evening the long looked for and anxiously expected order 
that we have been awaiting with the greatest patience for 
the last five or six days, the order to move from here to 
Webster, at which place we will take the Eailroad and go 
either to Benwood or to. Parkersburgh, on our way back to 
Ohio. Our orders are to prepare one day's rations^ and be 
ready to move at three o'clock in the morning, and the boys 
are now prepairing for on early start and a long days march, 
which I think will go pretty hard with some of them after 
laying here and having little exercise for the last eight days. 
Tuesday, July 23.— The weather this morning is clear 
and pleasant, the rain having ceased last night about six 
o'clock. Our Regiment left Camp Beverly this morning at 
four o'clock, and the morning being cool and pleasant the 
boys marched off at a pretty good pace, making eleven miles 
in three an a quarter hours before taking a rest ; when the 
Regiment halted and refreshed themselves with three quar- 
ters of an hour rest and a good drink of water, after which 
we again started and took our course up the winding road 
that crosses Laurel Hill and at the end of two hours and a 
half we were on the north slope of Laurel Hill and on the 
ground that the rebels had fortified so as to make a pretty 



58 

strong Military post. This Camp and fortification had been 
the head quarters of the rebel army of North-western Vir- 
ginia, and was directly under the supervision of General 
Garnet, at which place he had his head quarters. The for- 
tifications consisted of earth, stone and wood work, in the 
shape of trenches and breast works, and properly manned 
and under the command of a skillful officer, would be a 
strong military post. After taking a rest of one hour and 
taking a good survey of the old quarters of the rebel army, 
and a good look at all of their defences, which are now des- 
troyed, we again took the road and after a march of seven 
miles the Regiment encamped for the night, the boys having 
marched twenty-three miles since leaving Beverly, a r 
many of them not being able to go any farther. 

Wednesday, July 24. — The weather this morning is clear 
and warm. The Regiment left Camp Barbour, (I name this 
after the county in which it is located,) this morning at five 
o'clock, and after a march of nine hours we arrived at Web- 
ster, a small village on the Parkersburgh branch of Balti- 
more and Ohio Railroad, four miles south of Grafton. The 
Regiment made the march from Beverly a distance of forty- 
two miles, marching time about sixteen hours. This is the 
last march we will have ; from this place we will take the 
cars either to Parkersburgh or to Benwood, and from one of 
these two places we will make our way back to Columbus, 
Ohio. We expect to leave this place this evening, that is if 
we can be furnished with a train of Cars', which I think is 
very likely we will be. There were some of our boys joined 
us here this afternoon who have been sick ever since the 
Regiment left Clarksburgh on its first coming into Virginia. 
The boys all appear to be in good spirits although there are 
some of them that are pretty well used up by the last two 
days march. Our time expires on the 27th of the month, 
therefore the time allotted to reach Columbus is but two 
days after this, which will be little enough time to go that 
distance in. There is still talk among the Officers of trying 
to make the Regiment make a trip up the Big Kanawha but 
I think that it will be of no use trying, for as far as I can 
learn the boys are determined to go no farther, they claim- 
ing that they have served the State as for as they are bound 
to do, and as far as their oath compels them to do. 

Thursday, July 25. — The weather this morning is clear 
and warm. The Regiment left Webster last night at 10 



59 

o'clock and after a dismal night's ride in a train of old 
freight cars, we arrived in Parkersburgh this morning at 

7 o'clock, at which place we lay till 6 o'clock in the evening, 
at which time we went aboard of a steamboat and were taken 
over to the Ohio side of the river. After we arrived at 
Parkersburgh this morning, the Colonel formed the boys into 
line and once more put the question directly to them, whether 
or not they would make a trip up the Big Kanawha, which 
they flatly refused to do, stopping all further comments upon 
that question. The Regiment is now lying on the sand at the 
water's edge of the Ohio river, and will lay there till there 
is a train of cars arrives to take us to Columbus, which may 
not be till morning, and if that should be the case, the boys 
will have to make their beds on the sand for one night and 
make the best they can of it. The Regiment has not drawn 
any rations for twenty-four hours, and for my part I have 
not drawn any for twice that length of time. I have had 
nothing to eat all day and do not expect to get anything till 
we get to Columbus, unless there is some person along the 
road good enough to give us some. 

Friday, July 26. — The weather this morning is beautiful. 
Our boys lay all night on the sand and gravel by the river 
side, without any covering but the clear blue sky and their 
old thin blankets, but they all appear fresh and bright this 
morning and appear as cheerful as if they had rested on 
good beds and under cover of a good roof. We are still lay- 
ing here by the river side, awaiting the arrival of the train 
which we expect every minute. 8 o'clock, A. M. — The train 
has just arrived and the boys are piling themselves into the 
cars for another long and tiresome ride. We go from here to 
Marietta, and from there to Loveland, at the junction of the 
Cincinnati and Marietta Road with the Cincinnati and Col- 
umbus Road. The distance from this place is more than 
two hundred and fifty miles, which distance we have to ride 
in a train of stock cars on bare boards, with just room 
enough to set straight but none to lie down in. 

Saturday, July 27. — The weather this morning is very 
warm. Our Regiment arrived at Columbus this morning at 

8 o'clock, after travelling since Tuesday morning, over four 
hundred miles, and part of the distance on foot, therefore it 
would be no wonder if some of the boys should feel pretty 
badly used up, but they all appear to be as well as usual, 
except perhaps that some of them look rather sleepy, not 



60 

having any rest all last night and rather an indifferent night's 
i est the night before. We had rather a pleasant day's travel 
yesterday, notwithstanding the uncomfortableness of the cars 
that we had to t ravel in. At the town of Athens, in Athens 
County, we got some nice bread and butter and cheese, which 
was a perfect luxury for us after living so long on hard 
bread and meat, but when we came to the city of Chillico- 
the, in Ross county, it seemed as if the whole city was at the 
depot, and such a feast as we had there, we had not seen the 
like of for many long days. The good people of the city 
were there by the hundred, with wagon loads, basket loads, 
and barrow loads of the nicest kinds of provisions to feed 
our hungry boys. There we got bread and butter, pies and 
cakes, cheese, ham, beef and mutton, good coffee, and every 
thing that would tempt a hungry man, and the way the boys 
pitched in to the good things was fun to see ; every man eat 
till he was perfectly satisfied and no one went away hungry, 
unless they were too lazy to eat, which I don't think was the 
case. After every man had filled his bread basket to its 
utmost capacity, the boys got aboard the train and we went 
on our way rejoicing from the fair little city of Chillicothe. 
After we arrived here this morning and partook of some 
refreshments at the Rail Road Eating Saloon, the Regiment 
was marched out to Camp Chase, and took possession of the 
quarters assigned to them, and where we are now awaiting 
our discharge so that we can return home. There are now 
five three months Regiments at Columbus awaiting their 
discharge, namely: 1st, 2d, 15th, 19th and 20th; therefore, 
it is very likely that we may have to stay here for ten days 
before we will be mustered out of the service and paid off 
so we can return home. 

Sunday, July 28. — This morning the weather is some- 
what changed. We are having a very hard rain this morn- 
ing, with thunder and lightening. The weather in this part 
of the State has been very dry for the last few weeks, so the 
rain that is falling this morning will have a very beneficial 
effect on the growing crops, corn, potatoes and other vegeta- 
bles. There is nothing of any special interest going on in 
Camp to-day, therefore there is a scarcity of news. There 
are a good many troops in Camp Chase at this time, but they 
keep coming and going so that I cant find out the exact 
number, but as far as I can learn there is in camp and 
boarding in the city some five Regiments of returned three 



61 

months troops. I see it published in the morning papers 
that the three months troops now in camp will be paid off 
and discharged this week, and if that is the case our Regi- 
ment will perhaps get home the last of this week, it being 
the last Regiment on the list except one> Our boys are all 
well and are very anxious to be discharged so that they can 
return home. This business of laying in Camp is very mon- 
otonous; time hangs on our hands and passes off very slowly, 
making the boys feel very much out of sorts. I have taken 
up my quarters in the city with a friend of mine and am 
fareing some better than I have for the last two or three 
months, but still I am very weary of laying here and wait- 
ing, for now that we have got back to the State of Ohio I 
would like to be released from further obligations, so that I 
could return home and do some good for myself, for there is 
no good being done anyone by keeping us laying here at the 
expense of the State of Ohio. There is very little business 
of any kind doing in Columbus at this time, and if it was 
not for the excitement attending the marshaling, dispatch- 
ing, receiving and discharging of troops, this would be one 
of the dullest places in the State of Ohio. Business of every 
kind is pretty near at a stand, except such as is connected 
with military movements, and that appears to be in a pretty 
flourishing condition. There is recruiting going on in the 
city and still appear to be a call for more troops. 

Monday, July 29. — The weather this morning is clear 
and very warm. Our Regiment is still in Camp Chase await- 
ing the action of those whose duty it is to settle up the 
affairs of the returned Regiments. I see no better prospect 
of our being discharged than there was the day we came 
here; but all that we have got to do is to wait till everybody 
is as ready as we are, and then perhaps we will get our dis- 
charge. Our boys are all well as usual, but are very tired 
of this place. There is nothing going on here of any interest, 
therefore I have nothing to write that would be inieresting. 

Tuesday, July 30. — The weather is as it has been for the 
last forty-eight hours, dry, and very warm, the air being 
hot and sultry and making any place where there is the least 
bit of fresh air and a good shade a very desirable retreat. 
The weather for the last two days ha3 been warmer than I 
have experienced this summer. The weather in Virginia 
was sometimes pretty warm through the day, but the nights 
were always gooI, sometimes uncomfortably so, but the days 



62 

and nights are both very warm here for the last few days, 
the nights being too warm to sleep with any degree of com- 
fort. There is no news, nor is there anything going on in 
Camp that ie any way interesting, therefore my remarks are 
naturally very short. 

Wednesday, July 31. — The weather this morning is clear 
and still continues to be uncomfortably warm. Our boys 
getting so tired of lying here that they are beginning to 
have the blues, and there is very little wonder, for this is 
the slowest way of soldiering that we have done since we 
first commenced the business. There is still a dearth of 
news in Camp, there not being anything going on that is 
worthy of notice. 

Thursday, August 1.— The weather is still unchanged, 
it still being hot, hot, hot, and no comfort to be found but 
in the shade, and no place can there be found but what it 
is too hot for comfort ; the conclusion came to now by the 
official dignitaries is that our Regiment shall return home 
immediately without either a discharge or being paid off.— 
The Regiment this afternoon delivered up to the State 
authorities their muskets, catridge boxes, knapsacks, haver- 
sack and belts, and the order^is that we will leave here to- 
morrow morning and return home, and at some other time, 
perhaps one month hence, there will an officer visit the seve- 
ral Companies of the Regiment at the most convenient pla- 
ces, and there and then discharge them from the service and 
pay them for the service which they have performed. — 
This being the programme that is to be carried out, the Regi- 
ment will leave Columbus in the morning and return to 
their homes, the boys all appearing to be satisfied with the 
arrangements. 

Feid \y, A rausT 2. — Our Regiment left Camp Chase last 
evening and came to the city, and at 11 o'clock in the even- 
ing there was a train left the depot taking away five Com- 
panies of the Regiment. They go as far as Crestline and 
await the arrival ot the other five Companies of the Regi- 
ment, which will leave here at three o'clock in the morning. 
The other five Companies of the Regiment left this morning 
at three o'clock and run up to Crestline where we found the 
boys that had preceded us and come up on the last night's 
train. The Regiment was now once more and I presume for 
the last time all together. Companies A, E, H and G, go 
e.ist on the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne and Chicago Road, while 



63 

the other six Companies go from here to Cleveland, where 
there will be another division, Company K will take the 
Cleveland and Pittsburgh Road and go to Hudson ; Com- 
panies B and C will take the Cleveland and Mahoning Road 
and go to Warren, and Youngstown, and Companies D, F and 
I, will take the Lake Shore Road and go to Painesville, and 
Ashtabula. At 9 o'clock the train started on their different 
routes, and the gallant 19th was broken up, after having 
been together for nearly three months, and undergoing some 
Very hard trials. The boys of the different Companies ap- 
peared to me as old friends and I was very loth to part 
with some of them, but nevertheless the separation had to 
take place and we are all now on our way home. I wish 
every man in the Regiment a pleasant journey and a safe 
arrival to their homes, and if any of them should ever read 
these lines, they may rest assured that they have the best 
wishes of a musician that belonged to the Regiment, and 
shared its hardships and leisure hours. The 19th, from the 
time it left Camp Taylor till its return to Columbus, traveled 
over twelve hundred miles, camped in sixteen different camps 
done a large amount of scouting, was engaged in one battle 
and captured one thousand of the enemy and killed three 
hundred, and captured property to the amount of nearly 
one hundred thousand dollars. The Regiment is now broken 
up and my notes will have to stop, so good luck to the boys 
of the old 19th and may every one of them live to see peace 
once more restored in our land, and the rebels be brought to 
feel that the Yankee boys of Ohio are always willing to de- 
fend their rights, either from enemies Without or within the 
borders of our own Buckeye State ; and that their arms are 
long to reach and strong to strike in the defence of our com- 
mon country, 



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